Novell Names Hovsepian President, COO

It is unclear if this move will quiet calls for even bigger changes up top. After Novell's rough third quarter ending in August, Credit Suisse First Boston called upon the board to shake up top management and to exit the consulting business, which Novell entered with its merger with Cambridge Technology Partners in 2001. They also said the company must step up its Linux and open-source business.

Novell bought SUSE and its popular Linux distribution two years ago. It also purchased Ximian, a Cambridge, Mass.-based company specializing in Linux tools and desktop software.

But Novell has been slow to capitalize on its Linux war chest even as it sees its base Netware user base erode, observers said. Last week, the company acknowledged that it is looking to cut costs significantly but a spokesman would not comment on what many see as impending layoffs. CRN reported last week that the company is looking to cut as many as 20 percent, or more than 1,000 of its current 5,800 employees.