Quick Mention: The 3 Novells That Failed and the One Successful Legacy
- Dr. Roy Schestowitz
- 2008-02-20 11:40:18 UTC
- Modified: 2008-02-20 11:40:18 UTC
Can't get a fifth chance amid inevitable recession
Mister Var Guy Joe spoke to Novell's newly-appointed Global Channel Sales VP, who
replaced a guy that had quit the company a few months ago (
among others). He actually makes an excellent observation by dividing up Novell's lifetime into
separate 'eras', each of which saw a different level of success.
During its prime in the early 1990s — call it Novell 1.0 — the company had a robust channel organization and 60 percent server market share. Software, hardware and VAR partners eagerly displayed the “Yes” logo as a sign of their commitment and support to Novell NetWare. Then came Novell 2.0 — the mid-1990s, which was highlighted by several failed software acquisitions like Unix Systems Labs and WordPerfect. Novell 3.0, according to The VAR Guy, involved a flawed consulting push built around 2001’s Cambridge Technology Partners acquisition.
Novell rests on its laurels (or savings) from 1.0 days, but it appears like the company
runs out of money more quickly than it wishes you to believe (
cooking the books also). Interestingly enough,
the same goes for Microsoft, which is on a similar boat where it fails to reinvent itself. Maybe those two companies make a good pair
after all. They could share a tombstone and lower their expenses this way.
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Comments
James McDougal
2008-02-20 12:06:29
Roy Schestowitz
2008-02-20 12:14:21
Mark Fink
2008-02-20 16:15:16
Roy Schestowitz
2008-02-20 16:33:59