What's The Score?

By Rick Whiting

The first IT vendor that comes to mind when you think of systems and network management software is probably not Novell. So it's a bit of a surprise that Novell, up against such industry heavyweights as Hewlett-Packard Co. and Microsoft Corp. took top scores this year in Systems and Network Management Software, the first time that technology has been a category in the VARBusiness Annual Report Card.

Novell Inc., Waltham, Mass., and its ZENworks systems management, configuration management and end-point security management software was ranked first by channel partners in the subcategories of product innovation, support and partnership, garnering a total score of 66. HP, Palo Alto, Calif., was close behind with a score of 64 while Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft was a relatively distant third with a score of 57.

Novell's win doesn't surprise Richard Whitehead, Novell director of product marketing for systems and resource management.

"The No. 1 reason is because I feel we address customer problems very easily and very quickly," he said.

Novell's score of 75 for product innovation, including quality and reliability, and richness of product features/functionality, easily beat out HP's 71 and Microsoft's 63. Whitehead offered an explanation as to why.

Functionality? "We're constantly monitoring the market [to] stay ahead of it," he said. Quality and reliability? "We leverage open-source [technology] wherever we can and make it better," he said, adding that Novell also uses agile programming techniques when building its products. Compatibility and ease of integration? The company employs a "super lab" in Provo, Utah, where partners and customers see how Novell products work in large-scale IT environments with technology from multiple vendors.

Novacoast Inc., a Santa Barbara, Calif.-based solution provider, has been a Novell partner for 11 years. "One simple point: reliable products," said CEO Paul Anderson, when asked the reason for his long-time loyalty to Novell. "You'd be surprised how many vendors' products out there don't work or take so much effort to make them work that it's almost impossible to be successful as a professional service supplier." Novell, he said, has been "in that sweet spot for many years," developing products that work and yet offer enough opportunity for resellers.

But Whitehead is quick to note that innovation isn't everything. "It's one thing to have an innovative product," he said. "Innovation alone doesn't always win. It's all the things that go with innovation." Those things include ease of implementation, solving customers' problems and ease of doing business with the company. And Whitehead said Novell's channel partners are key to that last item.

Novell either scored No. 1 or tied with HP for the top spot in nearly every support and partnership criteria, coming in second only in marketing support and ease of doing business.

Novell has been putting more emphasis on channel sales in recent years, Anderson said. (More than half of all ZENworks sales go through channel partners, according to Whitehead.) "They've always been great on support," the Novacoast CEO said, noting that Novell does especially well with postsales support.

Novell's win is all the more remarkable considering the changes in its channel management in the last year. In November, the company's channel executive ranks underwent major changes, including the departures of Steve Erdman, vice president and general manager of channels and alliances, and James Simzer, director of North America partner sales. Earlier this month, the company promoted Javier Colado, previously manager of Novell's EMEA operations, as its new channel chief.

Whitehead's philosophy: "We're not managing machines. What we're trying to do is make users more productive."

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