Pionex, Quantex to Deliver Internet Cache Appliances for E-Business Performance Infrastructure

NEW YORK (PC Expo) - June 22, 1999 — Continuing to demonstrate its momentum as a leading Internet infrastructure provider, Novell Inc., today unveiled two new partners who have licensed the Novell® Internet Caching System™ for use in hardware appliances dedicated to accelerating the performance of the World Wide Web. Pionex Technologies, Inc. and Quantex Microsystems, Inc., have both signed agreements with Novell and will begin offering cache appliances based on the Novell Internet Caching System in the third quarter of 1999.

Caching accelerates the performance of e-business Web servers, and speeds information access and lowers network telecommunications costs. Collaborative Research, the publishers of the 1998 Internet Caching Report, estimates that the caching market will reach $2 billion by the year 2002, with caching appliances representing 80 percent of that market.

"This announcement, along with the Compaq and Dell partnerships already announced, make Novell's ICS strategy very compelling," noted Peter Christy, Principal of Collaborative Research (Los Altos, CA) and a leading caching analyst. "Novell has created a complete software caching system easily adapted to run on any standard Intel architecture system platform. This gives them the ability to partner with multiple hardware vendors and offer Novell caching technology in a broad spectrum of appliance caching products acting in their familiar role as the software vendor. It gives the appliance vendors a chance to broaden their product offering with excellent Internet caching technology with minimal system development cost or time."

"With the continued adoption of the Novell Internet Caching System, we are providing a crucial piece of the Internet infrastructure," said Smita Deshpande, director of marketing, Internet Solutions, Novell. "By partnering with Pionex and Quantex we are expanding the reach for caching appliances exponentially. Not only is Novell making the Internet work for businesses of all sizes, but we are opening up new market opportunities, such as Internet caching, for wealth creation among our eco-system of partners."

Announced in March, at BrainShare®'99, Novell's annual developer's conference, the Novell Internet Caching System is a scalable, plug-and-accelerate caching appliance architecture available for license by Original Equipment Manufacturers. (OEMs) Novell's Internet Caching System effectively increases the capacity of any Web server ten-fold, which enables content publishers, ISPs and enterprises to deploy high performance, content rich Web storefronts that increase buyer satisfaction, attract new customers, and drive new revenue opportunities.

Quantex is a privately held leading global manufacturer of business desktops, workstations, servers, notebooks and home PCs in the direct channel. "As more and more companies get on the Internet with increasingly complex Web sites, implementing caching will be necessary as a performance foundation for the network infrastructure," said Ted Hsu, general manager, Quantex Microsystems. "Placing caching appliances at every Web server and major router segment will allow more customers to use the Internet and visit to Web sites, resulting in more eyeballs and more revenue opportunities."

With sales and manufacturing facilities nationwide, Pionex Technologies is a leading manufacturer of high quality computer systems for the home and corporate markets. "With over five million enterprise users already relying on Novell for Internet caching, they have clearly established themselves as the leader in the caching market," said Bob Schaffer, general manager, commercial products group, Pionex Technologies. "Licensing the Novell Internet Caching System extends Pionex's competitive advantage and represents a tremendous opportunity for us to reach new markets with caching appliances and deliver the best solution to our ISP and enterprise customers."

Leading industry vendors, including Alteon, Compaq, Dell, Foundry, Intel, Log-On Data, Mirror Image, N2H2, Pionex, Quantex, SkyCache and others have endorsed Novell Internet Caching System as the premier caching solution for ISPs and enterprise customers. Please see http://www.novell.com/products/nics for detailed partner support.

Novell Internet Caching System
Novell Internet Caching System dramatically improves the speed and efficiency of delivering Internet content to employees, business partners and customers within corporate intranets and extranets as well as across the Internet. Delivering unmatched scalability, flexibility and price/performance, Novell Internet Caching System can be quickly and easily implemented in less than 10 minutes within any environment (Unix, Cisco, NetWare or NT). In fact, the Novell Internet Caching System OEM appliance is the only solution that delivers the ability and most importantly, affordability, to scale the entire network - from the branch office to the ISP.

Pricing and Availability
Both Quantex and Pionex will make their cache appliances available in the 3rd quarter of 1999. Novell's Internet Caching System is a licensable technology that will be sold exclusively through Novell's OEM partners. Individual Novell OEM licensees will announce specific pricing and availability for their own caching appliance solutions based on the Novell Internet Caching System. Compaq and Dell, who have previously announced agreements to license the Novell Internet Caching System, will make their cache appliances available in July 1999. For more information on the Novell Internet Caching System, please visit: http://www.novell.com/products/nics.

About Novell
Novell, Inc. is the world's leading provider of directory-enabled networking software. Novell solutions give businesses total control of their private networks and the Internet, simplifying the management of user access and identity. Novell's worldwide channel, consulting, developer, education and technical support programs are the most extensive in the network computing industry.

For information on Novell's complete range of products and services, contact Novell's Customer Response Center at (888) 321-4CRC (4272), or visit Novell's Web site at http://www.novell.com. Press may access Novell announcements and company information on the World Wide Web at http://www.novell.com/pressroom.

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Press Contact:
Gordon Evans
Novell, Inc.
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Internet: gmevans@novell.com

Matt McOwend
Cunningham Communications, Inc.
Phone: (650) 858-3791
Internet: mmcowen@ccipr.com