Novell BrainShare 2004 Promotes Enterprise Movement to Open Platform Computing

• Novell's Open Enterprise Server combines power of Linux and NetWare, provides compelling enterprise platform for customers
• Novell outlines new open source offerings for systems management and file/storage on Linux
• Latest ZENworks resource management suite enters open beta testing
• Novell outlines roadmap for next-generation identity services

SALT LAKE CITY (BrainShare® 2004) — March 22, 2004 — Novell's 20th annual BrainShare conference, the first since the company's emergence as a leading commercial Linux vendor, marks major progress in Novell's commitment to deliver secure, reliable, open-platform computing to the enterprise. Focused on providing customers freedom of choice, Novell is unveiling to nearly 6,000 customers, partners, press and industry analysts at BrainShare new technologies, programs and partnerships to help companies eliminate information boundaries and securely manage and leverage their information better.

"BrainShare is an annual opportunity for Novell to take stock with our customers and partners of the progress we're making in delivering on our one Net vision," said Jack Messman, chairman and CEO of Novell. "Few, if any, BrainShare conferences in the last 20 years can compete with 2004. Bringing our long history of enterprise expertise together with Linux, Novell has staked a serious claim to leadership in the enterprise Linux space. In addition, the technology we're showcasing this year around our platform offerings, identity management, Web services and resource management provides a comprehensive set of cost-effective answers to the most pressing IT questions customers face today."

Novell® Open Enterprise Server combines the benefits of NetWare and SUSE® LINUX to give customers the ability to choose how these services are deployed and which operating environment suits them best. It is a solution comprised of NetWare, SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server, and a rich collection of networking services, including Nterprise™ Linux Services, which will transparently interoperate between the two environments.

Delivering on its promise to contribute significantly to the open source community, Novell is announcing two new open source initiatives at BrainShare. Novell is making its leading SUSE LINUX systems management tool, YaST, available as open source to jump start a broad, multi-vendor, multi-platform systems management initiative. The company is also putting its Novell iFolder® technology, a highly acclaimed personal storage and filing solution, into the open source community. Both initiatives will help drive development of improved enterprise class solutions for Linux.

In other technology news, Novell is announcing the open beta of ZENworks® 6.5, the latest version of Novell's award-winning resource management offering, designed to help companies manage servers, desktops and handheld devices across multiple platforms. It includes new capabilities to manage Linux and Windows 2003 environments, as well as integrated patch management features to provide greater network security. Novell also unveiled the roadmap for its Nsure™ and exteNd™ next-generation identity services, which will include simplified identity management through a new visual identity integration and configuration tool based on the Eclipse open source development framework.

BrainShare also highlights new Novell partner offerings. With more than 50 sponsoring partners, including 15 new to the show, BrainShare 2004 signals strong industry endorsement of Novell's open platform approach.

Additional details on the news from Novell BrainShare, including more detailed announcements on the products and initiatives outlined above, can be found at http://www.novell.com/news/press/pressroom/presskit/brainshare2004/.

About Novell
Novell, Inc. (Nasdaq: NOVL) is a leading provider of information solutions that deliver secure identity management (Novell Nsure), Web application development (Novell exteNd™) and cross-platform networking services (Novell Nterprise™), all supported by strategic consulting and professional services (Novell NgageSM). Active in the open source community with its Ximian® and SUSE® LINUX brands, Novell provides a full range of Linux products and services for the enterprise, from the desktop to the server. Novell's vision of one Net - a world without information boundaries - helps customers realize the value of their information securely and economically. For more information, call Novell's Customer Response Center at (888) 321-4CRC (4272) or visit http://www.novell.com/. Press should visit http://www.novell.com/pressroom.

Novell, Novell iFolder, Ximian and ZENworks are registered trademarks; BrainShare is a registered service mark; Nsure, exteNd and Nterprise are trademarks; and Ngage is a service mark of Novell, Inc. in the United States and other countries. SUSE is a registered trademark of SUSE AG, a Novell company. *All third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.