WALTHAM, Mass., April 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Novell today announced that Sumitomo Electric Industries is using SUSE(R) Linux Enterprise Server from Novell(R) with integrated Xen* virtualization software to extend the useful life of its platforms, minimize additional hardware investment through more efficient use of resources, and operate an effective disaster recovery site. By running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and Xen on hardware containing Dual-Core Intel* Xeon* processors with Intel Virtualization Technology, Sumitomo Electric Industries is extending the life of valued applications on virtual servers, thus optimizing data center resources and running a more efficient business.

"This virtualization-based environment lets us keep systems in use for the long term, regardless of the external hardware configuration," said Nobuhiro Nakamura of the Systems Technology Group in the Information System Department at Sumitomo Electric Industries. "We have a strong commitment to open source software with the aim of ensuring reliability and minimizing platform investment, and we selected Novell and Xen to reinforce this policy in the area of virtualization technology. Intel's Virtualization Technology also gave us confidence to implement virtualization in a way that works for our company."

Sumitomo Electric Industries is a long-time supplier of products based on the company's copper wire manufacturing technology, including electrical cables, machinery and energy products. The company's decision to adopt server virtualization in 2006 was prompted by Novell's launch of SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 with integrated and supported Xen open source virtualization software, and also by Intel's decision to support virtualization at the CPU level. Sumitomo Electric Industries is currently running mission-critical server systems on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server with Xen and is also using it as the backbone of a cost-effective disaster recovery solution, migrating virtualized solution stacks as needed from its main data center in Osaka, Japan, to a backup center in Tokyo.

Roger Levy, Novell vice president and general manager of Open Platform Solutions, said, "Sumitomo Electric Industries' use of virtualization validates the practical value and business benefits of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and Xen virtualization technologies. Novell was the first to integrate Xen in a major enterprise Linux distribution, and customers today are using SUSE Linux Enterprise to maximize their IT resources and provide cost- effective high-availability services."

The next-generation platform for the open enterprise, SUSE Linux Enterprise is the best-engineered, lowest-cost and most interoperable platform for enterprise computing, from the desktop to the data center. For more information on SUSE Linux Enterprise offerings from Novell, visit http://www.novell.com/linux . For more on how customers around the globe are leveraging Novell solutions, visit http://www.novell.com/success .

About Novell

Novell, Inc. delivers infrastructure software for the Open Enterprise. Novell is a leader in enterprise-wide operating systems based on Linux* and open source and provides the enterprise management services required to operate mixed IT environments. Novell helps customers minimize cost, complexity and risk, allowing them to focus on innovation and growth. For more information, visit http://www.novell.com/ .

Novell and SUSE are registered trademarks of Novell, Inc. in the United States and other countries. *Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

CONTACT: Kevan Barney of Novell Inc., +1-801-861-2931,
kbarney@novell.com ; Amy Anderson of SHIFT Communications, +1-617-681-1225,
aanderson@shiftcomm.com

Web site: http://www.novell.com/