Ambitious deployment sees Oracle 11i ported to Novell SUSE Linux

• Leading Irish energy company invests in comprehensive range of Novell products and services
• Novell SUSE Linux infrastructure to support Oracle ERP upgrade
• Over 600 internal users to ultimately benefit from deployment

DUBLIN — September 28 2005 — Novell today announced the completion of the deployment of its SUSE Linux Enterprise Server within Bord Na Mona. Bord Na Mona Group is a profitable and diversified Irish company built from a business originally based on peat but now increasingly moving to innovative, solutions-driven initiatives which provide products and services in the environmental, renewable energy and waste management business sectors.

The deployment will see Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 and Novell eDirectory running on HP hardware to support the roll out of Oracle 11i applications. According to Brinsley Sheridan, Group IT Manager: “The deployment of Oracle 11i on Novell’s SuSE SLES 9 provides Bord na Mona with a consolidated server platform, reduced cost and a fully supported operating environment to implement mission critical applications. Collaboration between HP, Oracle and Novell working with local service delivery partner SecureLinx eliminated the risk for Bord Na Mona that the deployment of multi vendor systems can sometimes bring.”

Novell provided Bord Na Mona with a strong operating system value proposition which included Novell's Open Enterprise Server to run the core services such as email, file and print.  They will be moving their existing Netware servers to OES on a phased basis.  They also choose SUSE Linux Enterprise Server to run mission critical database and web applications and eDirectory to secure access to network resources – all under a single licence agreement.

During a tough evaluation processBord Na Mona ultimately chose Novell's platform over competitive Linux providers due to the increased performance, support and scalability of Novell’s SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. The business relationship Bord Na Mona has with Novell ensures a fully supported environment from the hardware platform through the operating system to the application suite. Implementation by local Novell partner SecureLinx working with HP and Oracle provided the confidence needed for a successful deployment of the solution.

SecureLinx was able to provide a structured methodology for the implementation phase which has many lasting benefits including a secure environment, customised and automated build processes, and highly responsive on-going support of the Linux infrastructure – essential features that the competition just couldn't match.

Commenting on the deployment Novell Ireland's Client Manager, Kevin McAteer says “The scale of this implementation confirms the view that enterprise customers, such as Bord Na Mona, can deploy Linux software solutions, using open source and proprietary software, confidently throughout the enterprise to support the applications that drive their businesses. Although Novell has a successful track record in enterprise implementations this deployment of Oracle 11i on Novell’s SUSE Linux Enterprise Server is one of our first in Europe”.

About Novell
Novell, Inc. (Nasdaq: NOVL) is a leading provider of infrastructure software and services to over 50,000 customers in 43 countries. With more than 20 years of experience in data center, workgroup and desktop solutions, Novell's 6,000 employees, 5,000 partners and support centers around the world are meeting customer requirements for identity-driven computing and Linux solutions. By providing enterprise-class software and support for commercial and open source software, Novell delivers increased operating flexibility and choice at a lower total cost of ownership. More information about Novell can be found at http://www.novell.com.

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