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Independent software vendors (ISVs) looking to deploy their applications on a Linux platform have plenty of options. The Linux market consists of many distributions and many more opportunities. Many applications areas that are saturated in the Windows and UNIX environments still have room for healthy competition on Linux.
How does an ISV choose which way to go in the crowded Linux world? The answer to that question is often found in the ISV partner programs of the various Linux distributions. What kinds of opportunities are available to members of the various ISV partner programs? What services are available to help ensure that your applications are successfully deployed on the Linux platform?
You'll also want to choose a Linux distribution with a growing number of customers and partners.
SUSE Linux Enterprise from Novell is the fastest growing Linux platform available today. Novell gained over 2,800 new customers in 2008 alone. In the software world, Novell has partnerships with some of the industry's biggest names, such as SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft. ISVs interested in selling UNIX, Windows, or Linux-based applications into Wal-Mart, Credit Suisse, HSBC, CVS, Boeing and other premier accounts must have them certified on SUSE Linux Enterprise.
ISVs working with SUSE Linux Enterprise get hands-on technical assistance for porting and migrating their applications, along with free software, additional technical support, and access to the SUSE Linux Enterprise Software Catalog. Novell helps development teams with application migration and porting efforts, including Mono porting for Microsoft.NET applications, in conjunction with any third-party control vendors, system integrators, and value-added resellers with whom ISVs and their customers do business.
The software development kit (SDK) for SUSE Linux Enterprise is available at no charge and has the tools ISVs need to build and tune their solutions successfully. It also gives developers the ability to develop in a "sandbox" environment, and provides the packages needed to port software and "bootstrap" the system.
Included with the SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 SDK, the openSUSE Build Service can automatically package software applications for all major Linux distributions. It gives developers access to a broader customer base by allowing them to develop or port their application to one Linux platform, then quickly and easily make it available on different hardware architectures and Linux distributions—such as openSUSE, Red Hat and Ubuntu.
ISVs that partner with Novell have all the tools they need to achieve certification following the Linux Standard Base (LSB). Supported by every major Linux distribution, LSB provides standards and best practices to help ensure software applications work with platforms, drivers, printers, and other components across the Linux ecosystem.
The Novell Ready Program provides ISVs with the tools, resources, and a structured process to help them certify their products. Once certified, they'll be able to use the appropriate certification mark, list their solution in our Enterprise Software Catalog and take advantage of other promotional and marketing opportunities.
The SUSE Linux Enterprise ISV Partner Program can help ISVs streamline the porting process, providing valuable insights to guide them quickly through application scoping, port analysis, porting, and certification.
Applications developed for or ported to SUSE Linux Enterprise will find a wide audience in organizations around the world. SUSE Linux Enterprise is certified to run on almost every server, workstation, desktop, and laptop from IBM, Dell, Fujitsu, HP, Lenovo, Silicon Graphics, Sun, Unisys and other well-known vendors. It supports both 32-bit and 64-bit architectures, and single- and multiple-core processors from Intel (including x86, Intel 64 and Itanium II, or newer architectures), AMD (AMD64) and IBM Power and System z (64-bit).
SUSE Linux Enterprise has earned certification from the industry's leading application vendors—from desktop productivity, to mission-critical databases, to ERP solutions, and more. Leading software vendors such as Oracle and IBM are certifying their applications on SUSE Linux Enterprise because of its demonstrated ability to support mission-critical workloads. SUSE Linux Enterprise is certified for IBM Tivoli, Lotus, DB* and Rational* product, for example. More than 1,000 mainframe applications are now available for SUSE Linux Enterprise, including hundreds of IBM middleware products such as IBM DB2 and WebSphere Application Server.
Also critical to getting software applications in front of users is the 2006 interoperability agreement between Microsoft and Novell. The agreement calls for seamless integration between SUSE Linux Enterprise and Microsoft Windows under full support from both vendors. The partnership between Microsoft and Novell continues to grow, benefiting ISVS and their customers through several interoperability and technology initiatives, including bi-directional virtualization between SUSE Linux Enterprise and Windows Server 2008, as well as document format compatibility to enhance interoperability between Microsoft Office and OpenOffice.org Novell Edition for Open XML format and ODF documents.
ISVs that partner with Novell also get help marketing their applications. Partners have access to joint go-to-market initiatives, such as the SUSE Appliance Program, and Novell highlight shared customer success stories that help ISVs realize the full market potential for their products. ISVs and their applications can also gain valuable exposure through the Novell Web site and the SUSE Linux Enterprise Software Catalog. Partners also receive regular updates on new offerings, products, campaigns, tools, and technical enablement resources via Novell's Partner Newsletters. Novell will also help ISVs leverage cross-partnering opportunities with third-party hardware and software vendor programs.
Read More: SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 Supports Physical, Virtual, Appliance and Cloud Computing »
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