<...some resellers say Novell has a window of opportunity given the NT 5 delay, but has not done enough to generate channel enthusiasm. "We haven't seen them aggressively targeting it. We haven't seen them work with resellers to address this opportunity," says Susan Bailey, president of En Pointe Technologies Inc., El Segundo, Calif...>
Fwiw, this opinion certainly doesn't seem consistent with the following:
"...With more than 300,000 betas of NetWare 5 already on the market, Novell has already served notice that it is pulling out all the stops on this release. Until now, the most widely deployed beta Novell product prior to NetWare 5 was NetWare 4, and only 40,000 betas of that version shipped.
In terms of features, NetWare 5 supports Internet standards with a pure IP implementation, has Java support and updated directory services-to name only a few of the product's litany of features. As a result, the company has dubbed the product the "Internet operating system."
To get its channel up to speed, Novell started a channel training program called "Boot Camp" late last year. In these PartnerNet Boot Camps, resellers come to Novell's corporate headquarters in Utah, selected nationwide Novell conferences or Novell Authorized Education Centers to get trained on NetWare 5. By the time NetWare 5 ships, more than 3,500 resellers will have been trained in numerous two-day Boot Camp sessions. In 1999, execs say they'll continue the Boot Camp training and will leverage the strength of the Web to provide "sales
cycle-shortening tools" to committed Novell resellers through the Partner Passport program. As an example, the company will be adding easy access to configuration and pricing tools that did not previously exist in that program..."
from techweb.com
and the following indicates Schmidt understands what is needed to further prime the pump:
"...Novell this week is sponsoring a CIO schmoozefest at the Regency Hotel in San Francisco in support of the official rollout of NetWare 5, which actually started shipping last week, days ahead of schedule. Novell CEO Eric Schmidt, along with Compaq head Eckhard Pfeiffer, will meet and greet the IT chiefs of GE Capital, First Chicago, TRW, and Wells Fargo, among others. Novell seems to have woken up to the fact that it doesn't matter whether the LAN administrator is a NetWare zealot if Microsoft has the IT chief's ear..."
from techweb.com |
