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A Year Ago: We've turned the corner - Novell UK

Martin Veitch ZDNet.co.uk

Published: 02 Dec 1997 10:06 GMT

Novell UK said today that its bright financial quarter evidenced user acceptance of its stronger product positioning.

"[Sales have] really been building to a crescendo," said Andrew Sadler-Smith, Novell UK sales director. "GroupWise and [network management software] ManageWise sales are almost double last year and ten per cent of all GroupWise sales are UK. It's really challenging Notes and Exchange. A lot of people have looked at the promise of [Microsoft] Exchange and been disappointed, and [Lotus] Notes is running out of steam."

Sadler-Smith said there had also been improved acceptance of NetWare 4 despite strong sales for Windows NT. "Corporates have moved to NetWare 4 and there's a growing awareness of where it sits. Customers have seen the upside of NT but it has its limitations as a networking platform. We've got a broader base and Directory Services is unique to us. Customers might want NT as an application server but they need NetWare to manage it."

Sadler-Smith added that new licensing programmes have also made it easier for customers to take up new products.

Separately, Novell UK expects to shift over one million copies of Netscape's Navigator Internet browser through sales of IntranetWare.