Microsoft and Novell partner on interoperability

Microsoft and Novell’s announcement that they are partnering on Windows and Linux interoperability is good news for users evaluating and implementing server virtualisation, according to analyst Butler Group. From a technology standpoint it will improve infrastructure flexibility and simplify virtualisation of mixed Windows and Linux environments, while also providing organisations with better vendor support. “It also promises improved interoperability in terms of identity and access management solutions, and office document formats, both of which will be welcomed by enterprise IT customers,” says Tim Jennings, Butler Group Head of Research: “This is good news for the industry, as it improves the ability for enterprise customers to deliver value from mixed environments. The deal is certainly good for Novell – it has been playing second fiddle to Red Hat in the enterprise Linux market. For Microsoft, it puts it in a stronger position to support large heterogeneous environments and strengthens both its enterprise play and its positioning re open source.”