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Technology Stocks : Novell (NOVL) dirt cheap, good buy? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: EPS who wrote (27302)	7/2/1999 11:33:00 PM
From: Bearded One	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 42771

I went to PC Expo and a Novell guy told me that sometime during the first week of July, they'd officially unveil the internet caching stuff along with a bunch of design wins and maybe a big fish or two as well. That may be part of the reason for the upward move.

To: EPS who wrote (27302)	7/3/1999 1:08:00 AM
From: DJBEINO	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 42771

Novell stepping up education efforts By Scott Berinato, PC Week Online July 2, 1999 3:00 PM ET Novell Inc. in the coming months will significantly increase its focus on user education in an effort to significantly increase something else -- its bottom line. The Provo, Utah, company this fall plans to introduce new courses on Novell Directory Services and related technology and to create a new type of certification, called the Certified Directory Engineer. With the increasing focus on the directory at Novell, the title joins that of Certified Novell Engineer, for users deemed proficient in the company's other main product, NetWare, officials said. Users of other vendors' products will also get a pedagogical boost from Novell. The company plans to roll out this fall the Certified Database Operator program for users of Oracle Corp. databases with Novell's NDS and NetWare. At the same time, Novell will debut Course 910, which will train and certify Microsoft Certified Solutions Engineers on NDS for NT, so those users can manage their mixed networks with the Novell directory, officials said. Education as big business It's all part of a larger Novell effort to increase its focus on education and credentials with users. Internal Novell research has indicated that many users who are CNEs do not have formal education but rather study on their own. And some are not adequately prepared to take on directory technology, officials said. At the same time, other vendors are building loyal relationships with users by creating their own certifications, such as Microsoft's MCSE. The raw numbers bear this out. In 1993, Novell research indicated that about 20 IT certifications existed. In 1996, that jumped to about 60. In 1999, more than 200 IT certifications are available to IT engineers. "Our tests are set up so that it's difficult to pass if someone just taught you the test," said Rich Nortz, senior vice president of Novell Customer Services. "We use real-world scenarios and testing. We want to make education and certification more than a piece of paper." Novell also wants to make it big business. Nortz said Novell CEO Eric Schmidt has charged his group with increasing revenue from the education and consulting services group from 13 percent of overall Novell revenue in 1998 to 30 percent in 2002. Briefings at Novell's Edge '99 conference in Boston last month underscored the emphasis Novell is putting on education. Presentations for education providers had titles like "Triple Your Certification Revenue in 90 Days" and "Major Accounts: Tap the Mother Lode!" Nortz said certification used to be almost nil in terms of revenue, but new figures show companies can charge quite a bit for the courses that are required for IT managers to receive their credentials. In one Novell presentation, the revenue potential for a Certified NetWare Administrator is laid out. It lists five required courses that education partners can buy for $1,140. But the suggested retail price of the courses is $7,275, for a profit of $6,135 to the provider. Another potential revenue generator will come from "continuing certification requirements," or CCRs, which Novell will introduce in September. These are yearly tests that must be passed in order for credential users to keep their certifications. Novell also must be careful not to exclude its channel partners when garnering revenue from education. "Novell has at least assured me they will get involved if a channel partner wants to put a skin in the education and consulting game," said Greg Uehling, executive vice president of Devise Associates Inc., a Novell Platinum reseller in New York. "I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt." Users generally welcome more education, as it gives them better job prospects. But one user, who has taught courses, also admits to mixed feelings. "To a point, it's important to job prospects," said the user, who requested anonymity. "The certification is required to get certain types of contracts. ... I see the positives and negatives. It provides at least some minimum level of knowledge on the products, but it's not really an indication of how they can handle it. And something like the directory certification will be useful for those focused on the directory, but first it really has to be recognized by the people who are hiring the talent." www8.zdnet.com