IBM and SUSE Team To Offer a New Generation of Enterprise Ready Linux Services

March 27, 2002


Worldwide Alliance Provides Unprecedented Linux Support for Corporate Users

Nuremberg, Germany and Armonk, NY

SUSE Linux and IBM today announced a broad services alliance that will enable both companies to jointly provide Linux support and services to corporate customers around the world.

In the agreement, IBM Global Services and SUSE will collaborate on support and professional services. IBM will package and support turnkey implementations of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES), backed by SUSE expert development, maintenance, and support teams. In addition to this complete services offering, the two organizations will also collaborate on customer engagements and supplement each other's skills to provide a formidable Linux services delivery capability for corporate customers.

"We are happy to partner with SUSE because it is an industry leader in delivering Linux enterprise products and services that corporate customers require. IGS's global reach and comprehensive portfolio of services and solutions, combined with SUSE advanced Linux offerings, are the complete Linux solution for corporate enterprise customers," said Patricia Gibbs, Vice President, IBM Global Services, Linux Services.

The agreement provides for IBM and SUSE to jointly offer a full range of Linux services for the enterprise, including:

  • System Integration/Customization services
  • Rollout and implementation services
  • System Management services
  • 24 x 7 Worldwide Maintenance and Support Services

"With the new IBM and SUSE worldwide service alliance, corporate customers benefit from the availability of enterprise Linux solutions combined with a broad range of joint support and service offerings anywhere in the world. This is a major step to make Linux corporate computing a reality," said Gerhard Burtscher, CEO of SUSE Linux.

About IBM Global Services
IBM Global Services is the world's largest information technology services provider, with approximately 150,000 professionals serving customers in 160 countries and annual revenue of more than $35 billion (2001). IBM Global Services integrates IBM's broad range of capabilities -- services, hardware, software and research -- to help companies of all sizes realize the full value of information technology. For more information, visit: http://www.ibm.com/services/

About Novell
Novell, Inc. is a leading provider of information solutions that deliver secure identity management (Novell® Nsure™), Web application development (Novell exteNd™) and cross-platform networking services (Novell Nterprise™), all supported by strategic consulting and professional services (Novell NgageSM). Active in the open source community with its Ximian and SUSE Linux brands, Novell is firmly committed to open source and offers comprehensive Linux products and services for the enterprise, from the desktop to the server. Novell's vision of one Net - a world without information boundaries - helps customers realize the value of their information securely and economically. For more information, call Novell's Customer Response Center at (888) 321-4CRC (4272) or visit http://www.novell.com. Press should visit http://www.novell.com/pressroom.

Novell is a registered trademarks; Nsure, exteNd and Nteprise are trademarks; and Ngage is a service mark of Novell, Inc. in the United States and other countries. SUSE is a registered trademark of SUSE Linux AG. * All third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.