Novell has unveiled enhancements to its PartnerNet program designed to make it easier, more strategic, and more profitable for partners to work with Novell. PartnerNet 2007 introduces several key new benefits, including technology specializations to enhance partner expertise and visibility in specific markets, a new, integrated partner portal that will make it easy to work with Novell and optimize business opportunities, and new partner tracks to ensure partners get the right attention from Novell for their specific business model. As a result, partners will become an even more tightly integrated extension of Novell, giving customers new, high-quality options for buying, deploying and maintaining Novell solutions.

“Novell has been a pioneer in working with partners from its earliest days, and the innovations they're introducing for 2007 show they still have their finger very well placed on the pulse of the partner community,” said Arnaud Delin, CEO of Prestige R?seaux in France. “Specializations will help us differentiate ourselves from our competitors in key growth markets like Linux and identity services, and the new partner portal will make it not only easy to get what we need from Novell, but also give us insights into our Novell business we didn't have before, helping us work together to optimize our business. Novell understands what partners need to succeed and is delivering the goods.”

Novell's PartnerNet program contains a series of enhancements for 2007 designed to increase the value to partners of doing business with Novell. These improvements focus primarily on three areas. They are:

Specializations: Novell will now require solution provider partners at the Platinum and Gold levels to specialize in one of four areas: Linux*; Security and Identity Management; Systems and Resource Management; and Workgroup. These specializations will help partners promote their expertise, increase visibility, improve sales opportunities and shorten sales cycles. Partners will benefit from discounted, focused training; marketing campaigns; incentives and rebates; and qualified leads aligned to these specializations that lower their costs and improve their competitiveness. Silver level solution provider partners do not need to specialize, but have the opportunity to do so in Linux, and can advance to higher levels as their business with Novell grows.

New Partner Portal: The new PartnerNet Portal provides a fully integrated global system for Novell partners, allowing a clear, consolidated view of the partnership, including program membership details and Novell sales-related information. It combines Novell's financial and global opportunity management systems, providing a single set of data that gives a customizable picture of a partner's complete relationship with Novell. It includes revenue tracking, integrated reporting and generation of campaign-driven leads to help partners identify new sales opportunities.

Addition of key partners: In addition to its existing solution provider, technology partner and training partner tracks, Novell is adding two critical partner types to the PartnerNet model: Global Strategic Partners and Distribution and Fulfillment partners. This change is designed to improve management of the overall Novell partner ecosystem and better allocate Novell resources to meet the diverse needs of Novell partners. With Global Strategic Partners, including both technology and delivery partners, Novell will drive relationships with top global players to enable effective market positioning in major global customers.