Hi Salah: (1) Here's an article explaining the reasons why Novell is behind in electronic commerce....Also (2) comments regarding CEO Schmidt's new job titled "Schmidt Facing Tough Time At Novell".
(1) Novell Behind In Electronic Commerce
(03/25/97; 5:00 p.m. EST)
By Clare Haney, TechWire
SALT LAKE CITY -- Novell executives speaking at the company's BrainShare developer conference here said Tuesday that their venture into electronic commerce is taking much longer than they expected.
Novell first announced it was licensing technology from Cambridge, Mass.-based E-commerce software specialist Open Market at last year's BrainShare. Novell said it intended to integrate Open Market's OM-SecureLink software with its network operating system in the form of an integrated Web server due to ship by late last year.
The plan was to use OM-SecureLink as the enabling technology that would let users connect their Web server up to Open Market's OM-Transact server, Novell's transaction management system for secure Internet commerce. But since March 1996, Novell has maintained virtual silence on the topic of its E-commerce intentions.
Novell is in the process of developing a NetWare Loadable Module (NLM) version of Open Market's OM-Transact server, said Vic Langford, senior vice president of Internet strategies at Novell, adding "It's a bit later than we expected." Novell is planning to release a beta version of the NLM before the end of this year, he said.
Although late to the E-commerce ball, Novell is pinning its hopes for success on claims that it has much of the required underlying network infrastructure already in place. The company's Network Directory Services technology is being placed at the heart of all its products, Langford said.
"Directory-enabled services is going to help us win in any market. It's the foundation for E-commerce," he said. The relationship with Open Market offers Novell the ability to create online storefronts, but Langford added that his company's approach will go deeper to embrace business-to-business commerce services.
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According to Vic Langford. "It's a bit later than we expected." Novell is planning to release a beta version of the NLM before the end of this year. Sound to me it's a lot late!
I wonder what the "real" problems were? Could it be that those NLM's are just way too difficult to write, debug and install. I thought Novell was getting away from all those NLM's and moving towards object based code. The NEXT OS uses these object (software) libraries and programmers get very impressive results in a very short amount of time.
Another issue for CEO Schmidt to address.
EKS
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AND here is another news release today titled:
(2) Schmidt Facing Tough Time At Novell
(03/25/97; 3:35 p.m. EST)
By Paul Kapustka, CommunicationsWeek
OREM, Utah -- Although industry executives joined in unison last week to praise Novell's choice of Eric Schmidt as its new CEO, they also all agreed that Sun Microsystems' former chief technology officer faces a huge task in trying to rescue Novell's floundering reputation.
Specifically, executives at other companies -- some who previously worked at Novell -- said Schmidt has two pressing problems to solve before Novell can move forward. The first is a reputation for being behind the curve on Internet matters, while the second is internal discord between Novell's Utah and San Jose, Calif., offices.
On the first front, most executives said they think Schmidt's technical expertise and experience at creating partnerships will transfer easily when he takes over at Novell on April 7. Jeff Waxman, chairman and CEO of Secure Computing in Roseville, Minn., said the timing is right for Schmidt to lead Novell.
"Eric is clearly the right person at the right time," said Waxman, who served as executive vice president of Novell's applications group under former CEO Bob Frankenberg. "If anyone can lead Novell against Microsoft, Eric can. He has the technical background, the industry contacts and the business sense necessary for the job."
Tops on Schmidt's to-do list will be talking up the company's Internet savvy, a message that has been garbled in recent history.
"Novell's biggest challenge right now is the Internet," said Sheldon Laube, chief technology officer and executive vice president of U.S. Web, Santa Clara, Calif. Laube, who was Novell's chief technology officer for seven months before leaving to help found U.S. Web in January 1996, said Schmidt's background as the lead spokesperson for Java was a step in the right direction for Novell.
"If anyone can bring Novell back to relevance, he [Schmidt] can," Laube said.
Schmidt's experience at Sun, Mountain View, Calif., might also lead to better alliances between Novell and other industry partners, including Apple Computer, Cupertino, Calif. Ellen Hancock, Apple's executive vice president for advanced technology, said, "It is very possible" that Schmidt's hiring might lead to greater Apple-Novell partnerships on Java and other networking technologies.
"I think he [Schmidt] will provide real vision," Hancock said.
Roel Pieper, CEO and vice chairman of Tandem Computers in Cupertino, Calif., noted that Novell has "squandered an enormous opportunity" during the past few years.
"They've done lots of damage to themselves," said Pieper, who formerly served as CEO of Unix Systems Labs and was mentioned as a possible successor to Novell's Ray Noorda after USL was acquired by Novell in 1993. But Schmidt, Pieper said, "has a profile that Novell definitely needs. He is very capable of setting up an understandable technology strategy."
What might be just as important is setting up an internal strategy to carry out a technical mission, something Frankenberg could never truly achieve.
According to SCC's Waxman, internal battles are mostly to blame for Novell's current dilemma. The biggest rift has traditionally been between Novell's old guard, who primarily reside in the company's Utah offices and are the champions of home-grown technologies such as IPX; and the San Jose offices, staffed initially by former Excelan employees who favored adding more Unix and open systems technologies to the formerly closed NetWare model.
"The biggest problem Bob [Frankenberg] had was he was pitted against the old Noorda team of Joe Marengi, James Tollenen, David Bradford and Mary Burnside," said Waxman, who blamed the Novell old guard for resisting changes that could have helped stall the company's current slide.
"Novell has a huge franchise, but the culture inside the company is killing it," Waxman said. "But I think Eric is smart enough to make sure he'll have the freedom to make the moves he needs."
According to Laube, the management situation at Novell may be receptive to change. "A lot of the management I wasn't in love with is gone now," Laube said. "There are still a lot of talented people at Novell, searching for leadership. And leadership does make a big difference."
"With Eric, there will be no doubt as to who's calling the shots," Tandem's Pieper said. "He's aware of the San Jose vs. Utah problems. And he's not going to let divisiveness exist for too long."
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Apple's loss (remember they recently layed off 3000 employees) may be Novell's gain. Perhaps CEO Schmidt can also recruit management and programming talent from this pool too.
EKS |
