“GroupWise is head and shoulders above Microsoft Exchange, and we are very pleased with Novell's ongoing commitment,” said Steve O’Brien, director of IT operations for Jefferson County, Colo. “My peers describe problems with their Exchange e-mail systems that I don't even think about. Because we implemented Linux and open source solutions from Novell, we are able to reduce our hardware costs by 50 percent, software costs by 30 percent and administration cost by 30 percent – all while improving uptime and overall security. This announcement will only continue to drive our costs down.”

Novell recently announced its long-term plans for GroupWise. The next release, codenamed “Sequoia,” is planned to be released in the summer of 2005, followed by “Aspen” and “Cedar,” targeted for fall 2006 and spring 2008, respectively. Planned enhancements for Sequoia include enhanced client code for Windows, Macintosh, Linux and the Web, support for Microsoft Outlook*, and new SOAP/XML interfaces to support integration of GroupWise with services-oriented application architectures.

Novell's long-term commitment to GroupWise includes Novell's extension of the support window for GroupWise through 2015. A pre-release version of GroupWise Sequoia web collaboration is being demonstrated at Novell's BrainShare customer conference in Salt Lake City this week. Greg Arnette, founder and CTO of IntelliReach, the e-mail lifecycle management company, said, “It's not just customers who are anticipating this summer's release of GroupWise Sequoia. This release will open avenues for enhanced partner solutions, as well. For example, the inclusion of SOAP interfaces in GroupWise Sequoia will allow us to create an even better compliance solution for GroupWise web collaboration customers.”

Novell will bundle SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server with GroupWise Sequoia at no additional cost. Long known for its security benefits, SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 9 recently achieved Enterprise Assurance Level 4+ under the Common Criteria for Information Security Evaluation's Controlled Access Protection Profile, also referred to as CAPP/EAL4+. The increased security and reliability of SUSE LINUX enable customers to deploy GroupWise web collaboration with even more confidence.

“Both SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server and GroupWise web collaboration software are well known for their superior reliability and security,” said David Patrick, vice president and general manager of Linux, Open Source Platforms and Services for Novell. “These new product features, 10-year extended support commitment and the inclusion of SUSE LINUX are another example of Novell's dedication to our millions of GroupWise web collaboration users and a clear signal to future customers that Novell's commitment to GroupWise has never been stronger.” More information about Novell GroupWise intranet and web collaboration software can be found at http://www.novell.com/products/groupwise.