Novell places emphasis on functionality

18-03-2008

by Emmet Ryan

Getting varying IT functions to work in harmony is a key goal for infrastructure software firm Novell, according to its chief executive Ron Hovsepian.

He told attendees at the opening general session of the 2008 BrainShare conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, that Novell wants to deliver greater interoperability to bring harmony to mixed IT systems and applications. "We positioned the company to make IT work as one," said Hovsepian.

The global gathering for open source and Novell enthusiasts opened to the sound of a heroic rock music video by 1990s American band Collective Soul. Though less littered with geek humour than opening sessions in previous years, the event got off to a fairly relaxed start as Hovsepian detailed the priorities for the firm in the near future. "If we don't help you [Novell's customers] lower costs and reduce complexity then we haven't really fulfilled that vision of making IT work as one," said Hovsepian.

He said the firm is going to focus on helping clear up this complexity for customers and simplify IT processes. "What keeps me up at night is our customers. I ask myself 'Are our 4,000 people listening to you?'" said Hovsepian. "Ultimately this company has the ability to do incredible things but it can only do this if it meets customer needs."

The 2008 edition of BrainShare comes at a time when Novell can reflect on the impact of the infrastructure software firm's controversial partnership with Microsoft. Hovsepian said the deal result in USD122 million in revenues in 2007 and customer numbers at the firm are also on the rise, with 8,700 of Novell's 50,000 customers coming on board in the last 12 months.

This year's event comes as Novell celebrates reaching the quarter century mark. Hovsepian said that despite reaching this milestone, the recent spurt in customer numbers showed the business is still young in its mindset. "This company has been in business for 25 years. The thing I'm most proud of is the renaissance in the momentum building behind this company," he said.

Over 5,500 people from 58 countries will attend this year's BrainShare, which is now in its 23rd year.