Bonum Certa Men Certa

Novell News Summary - Part III: PlateSpin Protect 8.1, Sentinel, and Few Other Things

Desert days
Arches National Park in Utah



Summary: All the rest of the news about Novell

There is nothing significant to see here this week, but what follows is a quick summary of minor things.



SCO



No interesting developments here since the last report. Groklaw has a couple more posts, the latter of which suggests that this saga ain't over for at least another year (the AutoZone trial).

Finance



We won't be following financial news as much as we used to. With the Yahoo!-Microsoft deal actually signed, we no longer read the relevant Yahoo! RSS feeds. Here is one minor report from last week.

Tech stocks finished the day lower. Microsoft, Novell and Oracle lost 1.5%, 1.2% and 1.6% respectively.


Older/Proprietary Technology



YouTube has this new video of Zen and IDG wrote about Zenworks.

"This is seamless to the end user," he said. "And it is integrated with Active Directory policies, and supports Novell Zenworks through group policy. This means that no back-end infrastructure is needed to deploy this across the enterprise."


Novell's eDirectory was mentioned very briefly in ZDNet.

Information about people is stored and referenced using directory servers. There are plenty of these around, including IBM's Tivoli Directory Server, Microsoft's Active Directory and Novell's eDirectory


Virtualisation



Novell's PlateSpin Protect 8.1 made this appearance and it looks like news indeed.

Novell announced the availability of PlateSpin Protect 8.1. With PlateSpin Protect 8.1 customers can protect and restore whole workloads, from both physical servers and virtual machines, up to 50 percent faster than before, shrinking backup windows and reducing the time needed to restore systems after an outage.


More in CBR:

Novell has refreshed its PlateSpin management line so that tools used to restore workloads from physical and virtual machines in the data centre can do so up to 50% faster than previous versions.


"Up to 50% faster" may also mean 5% faster, on average. This language requires skepticism. Novell is mentioned as a virtualisation contender by InfoWorld and it is listed by IT Jungle too.

But Handy says that over time, IBM will support the Xen hypervisor (pushed mostly by Citrix Systems and Oracle with some interest from Novell) and the KVM hypervisor (championed by Red Hat as an alternative to Xen on X64 iron); it will also support logical partitions on Power Systems servers running atop PowerVM and supporting i, AIX, and Linux. Exactly when is not clear. But there is a clear need for the software.


Novell remains recognised in this field despite being a minor player with minuscule market share. The lion's share of this market is still VMware's. We may have some fraud to report regarding this company in weeks to come.

Mail



GroupWise is mentioned in this bit about MessageSolution and also in this one and that one.

Additionally we have:

i. Twitter breach revives security issues with cloud computing

Under the $7.25 million plan, the city will transition its Novell GroupWise e-mail and Microsoft Office applications to Google's e-mail and office productivity products starting this December. The migration is expected to save the city more than $6 million in software license costs over the next five years and an additional $7.5 million from reallocating resources dedicated to GroupWise to other tasks.


ii. Novell promotes email efficiency for customers and staff

Novell (NASDAQ:NOVL) trained its staff Tuesday on how to use GroupWise software more efficiently. GroupWise is the company's collaboration and productivity platform. It includes both client and server software.


On Collaboration:

iii Collaboration Tools Can Cut Costs, Boost Productivity

Even with software investments trending down, collaboration tools may be worth a look for increased productivity, contained costs and a reduced carbon footprint. Cisco, IBM, Microsoft and Novell are pushing into the market, but open-source solutions are also available. Collaboration tools can even boost customer relations and revenue.

[...]

"Providing employees with collaboration tools that enable them to work together effectively, no matter where they may be located, is no longer a wish-list or nice-to-have item -- it's a requirement," said Kent Erickson, senior vice president and general manager of Workgroup Solutions for Novell.


Management & Security



Not so long ago we mentioned Burton and Novell because they were going to meet up from Wednesday to Friday [1, 2]. Novell's PR people mentioned it some days ago.

Both organizations will preview capabilities of Novell Cloud Security Service during an industry-wide interoperability demonstration at Burton Group Catalyst Conference, Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront.


From the Burton Group's gig, quite a few press releases came. Among those that mentioned Novell:

i. eXpresso(TM) Corp Showcases Cloud-based Single Sign-On and Interoperability at Burton Group Catalyst Conference

Recognizing the ongoing interest enterprises have in utilizing off-premise applications, the Burton Group has invited leading identity providers such as CA, Novell, Sun, TriCipher and Ping Identity as well as live SaaS application environments such as eXpresso, Salesforce, Google Apps and Cisco WebEx to wire together their systems using nothing but standard identity protocols and the Internet. The end result will be a showcase of secure interoperability in the cloud for attendees at the Burton Group conference to witness first-hand.


ii. New Log Management Solution from Novell Delivers a Key Building Block for Security and Regulatory Compliance

Novell, Inc. today announced a comprehensive log management solution that expands the functionality offered in Novell's security information and event management solutions. Novell(R) Sentinel(TM) Log Manager simplifies fulfillment of audit requirements and improves security by streamlining the management of ever-increasing volumes of raw event data used for risk investigations and compliance reporting.


iii. Novell Tackles Cloud Computing Security

At the Burton Group Catalyst Conference this week, Novell plans to demonstrate Novell Cloud Security Service, which is designed to secure Cloud-based and Software as a Service (SaaS) services. The company's effort underscores the continuing concern that as cloud services gain attention because of their potential business benefits, they may be outstripping their own security capabilities.


iv. PivotLink Eliminates the Security Barriers to Cloud-Based Business Intelligence

Novell separately announced it will demonstrate the Novell Cloud Security Service with PivotLink during the event. The solution allows PivotLink to extend its security model by integrating PivotLink's application and data level security into the overall framework.


Then came some more news about Sentinel, which Novell's PR people wrote about.

Today we announced a comprehensive log management solution that expands the functionality offered in Novell’s security information and event management solutions. Novell Sentinel Log Manager simplifies fulfillment of audit requirements and improves security by streamlining the management of ever-increasing volumes of raw event data used for risk investigations and compliance reporting.


More on Sentinel (from the news):

i. Novell aims to tighten cloud security

Novell has unveiled a cloud-computing identity and access management service, designed to extend corporate security policies to hosted facilities.

On Wednesday, Novell demonstrated an advanced prototype of its Cloud Security Service, which is due for release to enterprise organisations as a product early in 2010.

Novell said the new service, which has been in a private joint-development phase with hosting partners, is based on existing components used in its Access Manager, Sentinel and Identity Manager products.


ii. Novell gets into log management

The Novell Sentinel Log Manager is designed to simplify auditing and bolster security by streamlining the management of raw event data used for risk investigations and compliance reporting for regulations such as HIPAA, Sarbanes-Oxley and PCI DSS.


People



Novell participated in the following webinar, but names of people seem to be entirely missing.

Agiliance Inc., the leader in integrated Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC), today announced it will host a live webinar titled "FTC RED FLAGS: Are You Ready?" on August 6, 2009 at 2:00 PM EDT featuring distinguished panelists from Novell, Rick Wagner, Rook Consulting, Jim Anderson and hosted by Ed King, vice president of marketing, Agiliance.


A new IDG Webcast features Ross Chevelier from Novell:

Join Ross Chevelier, CTO for Novell Americas, to discuss key IT consolidation drivers....


Chevelier does some more talking elsewhere, as advertised by the notorious Sys-Con.

...Ross Chevalier, CTO for Novell Americas and President for Novell Canada, will be presenting at the upcoming Government IT Conference & Expo (www.GovITExpo.com) this coming October 6th in Washington, DC.


A new hire emits details about another former Novell employee:

Blount's experience at Novell and JD Edwards, where he led the strategic acquisition of over a dozen technology companies, complemented by his recent successful turnaround and strategic merger of Dynix Corp., demonstrates his vision and success in acquisition growth strategies and his ability to convert those acquisitions into successful, long-term growth.


Partners/Relationships



A few commercial relationships were mentioned here and here, but that's a lot less than average.

Marketing



Novell's chief marketing guy raves about Novell as a support site.

For many clients, support is the make or break attribute of a positive or negative software experience. Our technical support teams get this and it’s why I’m very proud that for the third consecutive year, The Association of Support Professionals has announced Novell as a winner of their “Ten Best Support Sites”. This prestigious award highlights excellence in online service and support.


Promotional Novell videos continue to be pushed into YouTube, usually by the company. The latest additions:



And another Novell commercial:



Here ends another quiet week.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Silent Layoffs, Cool-down, and Cool-off: How GAFAM and IBM Operate (the Law Doesn't Apply to Them)
Laws? What laws?
 
People Who Enforce the GPL Banned From Linux Foundation Board (After Bribes From Prolific GPL Violators), Now They're Banned From Giving Talks at Events
about the "LF" ('Linux' Foundation)
Gemini Links 06/09/2026: The Slop Plagiarism 'Holy War' (Hype, Scam, Scheme), Burning CD-Rs, and Hardcopy Mono
Links for the day
Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Inaction and Incompetence - Part IV - Insufficient Resources in the Face of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) by Lawyers
it's about 120KG
OpenStreetMap is the Future, Dictatorship is the Past
OpenStreetMap helped us check maps for transport, various overlays with addresses, and there was 0% reliance on GAFAM or "Google" anything
How Strikes at the European Patent Office Are Seen by Striking Staff in Berlin, Germany
We have some more EPO scandals to cover later this year and next year
Association for Computing Machinery Cites Techrights in Relation to GemText and Gemini Protocol
published yesterday, Open Access
Links 06/09/2026: More XBox Trouble (Microsoft Unrest, Many Silent Layoffs This Month), John Duffy as Next USPTO General Counsel
Links for the day
Gemini Links 06/09/2026: Avoiding 'Smart' 'Phones' and Setting up Gemini for the First Time
Links for the day
Links 06/09/2026: Sabotage by Slop and "What Happens If 'Open' 'AI' Dies?"
Links for the day
How Back Doors Became the 'Normal' or 'Norm'
"We also allowed a lethal monoculture to fester"
Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Inaction and Incompetence - Part III - The SRA is Vastly Worse Than Brits Realise, We Have a "Wild West" in London
In the next part we'll begin looking at correspondence with the SRA
SRA and Manslaughter: How the SRA Contributed to Agony in Proprietary Software Scandals With Clear Misuse of "Without Prejudice"
Trying to prevent the public from finding out the criminal stuff that went on, resulting in many deaths
Canonical (or Ubuntu) Rejecting IRC Isn't the Widespread Trend
Internet Relay Chat (IRC) adoption still growing by some yardsticks
SLAPP Censorship - Part 173 Out of 200: Two Years
It was exactly 2 years ago that we filed lawsuits against Garrett
Linux of America
We could not help but notice GNU/Linux in North America yesterday
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, September 05, 2026
IRC logs for Saturday, September 05, 2026
Gemini Links 06/09/2026: Internet Limiting (Limited Time Allotted) and Solar MiniServer
Links for the day
Eight Months of Strikes in EPO, Organised by the Staff Union (SUEPO) Also in Berlin
In Berlin, only one member of staff voted against the action plan
Links 05/09/2026: "Let’s Stop Buying New Phone" and 'Open' 'AI' (Proprietary Slop) Drowning in Lawsuits
Links for the day
Gemini Links 05/09/2026: Polarization, Warped Maps, and Emacs rectangle-number-lines
Links for the day
Software Freedom, Even If Difficult to Attain Due to Outside Pressure, Does Make You Happier
Peer pressure and opinionated employers can make friends and staff more miserable if they dictate bad software
You Can Run GNU/Linux on a Desktop/Laptop for 1,000+ Days Nonstop
To me, the long uptime is a way of "marketing" GNU/Linux as robust and stable
Profiting From Global Warming (and Making More Money the More You Cause Warming)
Unregulated bank and pyramid scheme
SLAPP Censorship - Part 172 Out of 200: The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Complicit in the SLAPPs by Inaction (Didn't Even Study Any Evidence, Only Wasted Time and Budget)
"SRA placed into special measures due to 'disappointing standard of leadership'"
China Does Not Need American (US) Products Like GAFAM's
China has abundance of technical things it can leverage to preserve its autonomy
RMS Didn't Make Enough Backups
Making backups is important
Refresher: Why EPO Staff is on Strike This Year (Aside From the EPO Acting Like a Corrupt, Above-the-Law, For-Profit Corporation That Violates Its Own Charter)
One core issue at the EPO is erosion of purchasing power
Gemini Links 05/09/2026: Fireflies, Shore Pine, and ASCII Art
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, September 04, 2026
IRC logs for Friday, September 04, 2026
The Legal Services Board (LSB) Takes on Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) for Utter Failures, We'll Resume Our SRA Series to Illuminate How Bad the SRA Really Is
a quick overview of the latest news
Links 04/09/2026: Notorious Patent Trolls' Judge Enters the Private Sector (Corruption, Revolving Doors), Gloria Steinem's Life in Pictures
Links for the day
Gemini Links 04/09/2026: Worries, Upgrades, and CS Students
Links for the day
Richard Stallman's Web Site Back Online, But It Seems Like a 2-Months-Old Snapshot
Latest political notes are dated July 2 (2026)
SPAM Disguised as Benchmark or Comparison: The Register MS "PARTNER CONTENT" is Getting Weirder by the Month
Sites that promote fake 'coins' or pyramid schemes to their audience(s) aren't worth tolerating
PIPs at IBMs are Layoffs Because They're Impossible to Satisfy (or They Terminate Workers Despite Satisfying Them)
What insiders say
In the United Kingdom You Can No Longer Make the Assumption People Use Windows (or 'Smart' 'Phone')
As autumn arrives Microsoft faces a crisis
SLAPP Censorship - Part 171 Out of 200: Talking About Corruption and Violence Against Women
Today the Labour Party (UK) speaks about corruption
Warming Up for Investigative Journalism About the European Patent Office (EPO), Europe's Second-Largest and Probably Most Corrupt Institution in Europe
It continues to exploit diplomatic immunity for impunity
Microsoft Handing Out PIPs by the Thousands, Anxiety in GAFAM Building Up
Years ago I heard from people who pretended to be ill to avoid getting fired
BRICS in the Windows: Brazil's GNU/Linux Share (as Measured by CDN) Has Hit Highest Point in a Month
The largest Web CDN, Clownflare, sees GNU/Linux at 8.1% right now in Brazil
Corporate Media Will Always Glorify Its Owners (Corporations That Value Nothing But Capital)
Collecting "money" like it's a form of competition where they track "score"
We'll Never Do Slop!
Being against slop is not being "left behind"
Thieves Complain About the People They Steal From
"When you point the finger at someone, there are three fingers pointing back to you"
Links 04/09/2026: "The Rise of the Billionaire Lobby", the "Imperialist Delusions", and Digital Restrictions (DRM) From Nvidia
Links for the day
Buying From China
Nations must begin to speak about their digital sovereignty, which Free software is best equipped to grant and best positioned to assure in the face of outside resistance
GNU/Linux Continues to Grow in China
GNU/Linux reached its highest point in a month
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, September 03, 2026
IRC logs for Thursday, September 03, 2026
Gemini Links 04/09/2026: Forgotten Realms Avatar Series and Slop Plagiarism's Footprint in Gopher/Geminispace
Links for the day