Novell is DEAD!.....Part 2

Hello all,

Several years ago I posted my first article, Novell is Dead.  It was never my intention to have a continuing discussion of the matter.  However, times have changed.  I have gone back to read what I said and continue the discussion.

Novell has continued its tradition of Brainshare and they continue to do a good job.  Back when Attachmate announced that it was going to purchase Novell, many of us long time IT customers were a little more than just concerned.  What is this all going to mean?  What is going to happen to the products?  Will Novell finally get the marketing piece that was so tragically missing?  Is Novell dead?

The answers to these and many more questions came as time passed.  Since 2011, Attachmate sliced and diced Novell into 3 or 4 business units; Novell, NetIQ, Suse, and Attachmate proper.  The very first messages were that it was business as usual, and the products were going to continue to be improved and built.  Many of the IT veterans quietly said, "We've heard that before!" as the leaders of Novell for the past decade said one thing, but clearly were operating in the best interest of immediate gratification of stock holders and their own pockets.  Could we trust Bob Flynn, Jay Gardner, Nils Brachmann, and Jeff Hahn at their word, or are these business men, much like politicians, who will say one thing and do another?

My answer is "Yes.....and no"

Attachmate has added to, not taken away from, the core products.  They have invested in doing the right things the right way in technology.  Features, functionality, product development, and even Q/A has improved over the past few years.  They are reconnecting to some of their core values of delivering products that address their customers wants and needs; and getting it done.  If something is the right thing to do, then they do the right thing the right way; even when it costs more than not doing it at all or doing it poorly.

On the other hand, It is curious that a company which at its very core is tied to Identity Management seemingly has the difficult and daunting task of establishing its own identity.  What is Novell?  What is Suse?  What is NetIQ?  What is OES?  I remember sitting in meeting after meeting, desperately trying to make sense of and catch the vision of one company with 4 business units.  I would listen to them repeat the same things over and over in hopes that the 150th time they said the same thing it would finally click with a EUREKA realization moment.  So far, it hasn't.  How can one take a single company, chop it up into 4 nearly separate stand alone business units, and still be functional?

So, my bottom line is that we can and did trust the leadership of Attachmate at their word.  They have done exactly what they said they would do, but some of us haven't caught or understood some of the vision.  Overall, the past three years, the situation has stabilized and gotten a little better.

Enter Micro Focus.....

OH NO!  WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?  WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN?  DEATH AND DESTRUCTION!  CATS AND DOGS LIVING TOGETHER!

Unlike the Attachmate purchase, we heard none of that!  The message pretty much was, "Oh...and by the way, we are now owned by Micro Focus.....carry on....that is all." And everyone continued about their business as usual.  Unusual?  Probably.  Maybe those customers, partners and employees are accustomed to the new normal being acquisitions?  Or maybe.....it just doesn't matter anymore....Novell is dead anyway.

There are no simple solutions to complex opportunities.  Anyone suggesting a "all you have to do is...." is like suggesting the solution to every problem is a hammer.  If the problem is a nail, it works just fine.  If the problem is a screw or bold, not so much.

Once the problems are openly and honestly shared there are strategies that can and should be put into action.  So what are those problems?

Stay tuned for Part 3.  Feel free to comment and join the conversation.  I already have my answers, but would like to hear others.

Tom