SCO Launches Unix Upgrades, Small Business Offering

The Lindon, Utah, company Tuesday detailed the release of its UnixWare 7.1.4 upgrade for enterprise customers, a new $599 entry-level version of UnixWare for the SMB market, and plans to launch a major upgrade of its OpenServer, code-named Legend, in the first quarter of 2005.

The announcements fulfill some of the promises SCO Group made at SCOForum 2003 last August. UnixWare 7.1.4, for instance, features integrated SCOx Web Services components such as SOAP and XML based libraries to get customers up and running with web services technology, The SCO Group said.

The upgrade also offers enhanced security services with VPN support based on IPsec, application support for Java 2 SE 1.2 and enhanced support for Intel Xeon, USB and USB 2.0 printers and PCI Serial and IDE driver support for ATA devices.

The Small Business Edition of UnixWare 7.1.4, priced at $599, is targeted at small to midsized businesses that want to use Unix for edge-of-network services. The new entry level edition offers file and print services, mail server, DHCP, web browser, web servers, firewall, proxy server and relational database.

The SCO Group also said it will release next month another SMB offering, SCOffice Server 4.1, that gives customers and resellers an integrated, secure Internet e-mail and collaboration solution that integrates with Microsoft Outlook and filters out junk e-mail and delivers real-time collaboration features including meetings and scheduling, contact lists and folders.

To help resellers push the new offerings into the marketplace, The SCO Group also announced on Tuesday rebate programs for partners and marketing development funds for premier partners as well as co-branding materials that highlight the 'Power of Unix," The SCO Group said.

The company also offers training for SCOoffice Server 4.1 online and will offer in-depth technical training for partners at SCOForum 2004 in August.

Mark Hatch, COO of Integrated Computer Solutions, a Cambridge, Mass.-based Unix ISV and consulting firm, said SCO, like any OS vendor, needs to keep its existing installed base of Unix customers happy .

"Without bug fixes and enhancements, software maintenance quickly falls off," said Hatch. "This is addressing the standard software supplier problem of keeping a product moving forward, but I don't think it is a big deal to anybody that is not a current UnixWare user."