Novell

Novell. It was a pioneering American software company that played a foundational role in the development of local area network (LAN) and network operating system technologies. Founded in Provo, Utah, the company achieved immense success in the 1980s and early 1990s with its NetWare product, which became the de facto standard for connecting personal computers in business environments. Novell's influence waned following intense competition from Microsoft and a series of strategic missteps, leading to its eventual acquisition and absorption into Micro Focus.

History

Novell was founded in 1979 as Novell Data Systems by George Canova, Dennis Fairclough, Jack Davis, and Darrell Miller, initially manufacturing CP/M-based microcomputers. Facing financial difficulties, the board brought in Ray Noorda as president in 1983, who pivoted the company toward networking software. Under Noorda's leadership, Novell introduced NetWare, which leveraged the IPX/SPX protocol stack and quickly dominated the market for PC LANs, competing directly with systems from IBM and 3Com. The company's initial public offering in 1985 provided capital for rapid expansion, and by the late 1980s, Novell was a central player in the client–server model revolution, forming key partnerships with companies like Intel and Oracle Corporation. The 1990s saw a protracted and ultimately losing battle for network dominance against Microsoft Windows NT, leading to Noorda's retirement in 1994 and a period of leadership turmoil that included a brief tenure by Robert Frankenberg.

Products and services

The cornerstone of Novell's product line was the NetWare network operating system, whose core services included the NetWare Core Protocol for file sharing and the Novell Directory Services (NDS), a groundbreaking X.500-inspired directory service later rebranded as eDirectory. For security, the company offered Novell BorderManager and popularized the RSA (cryptosystem) algorithm within enterprise systems. Its GroupWise product provided integrated email, calendaring, and personal information management, competing with Microsoft Exchange Server and Lotus Notes. In the Linux era, Novell acquired SUSE Linux and became a major distributor, offering enterprise platforms like SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and management tools such as ZENworks and PlateSpin for workload management. The company also developed Mono (software), an open-source implementation of the Microsoft .NET Framework.

Acquisitions and mergers

Novell pursued an aggressive growth-through-acquisition strategy under Ray Noorda, famously described as "rollup." A landmark deal was the 1994 purchase of WordPerfect Corporation and the Quattro Pro spreadsheet from Borland for over $1 billion, an attempt to challenge Microsoft Office that ultimately failed and was sold off. Earlier, it acquired Digital Research in 1991, gaining the DR-DOS operating system. In the 2000s, seeking to reinvent itself, Novell made significant open-source acquisitions, including SUSE Linux in 2003 for $210 million and Ximian, developers of the GNOME desktop and Mono (software), in the same year. Other notable purchases included security firm Cambridge Technology Partners and virtualization specialist PlateSpin.

Corporate affairs

Novell's corporate headquarters remained in Provo, Utah for most of its history, with a significant operational presence in Waltham, Massachusetts after the Cambridge Technology Partners acquisition. The company was a party to several major legal battles, most notably a long-running antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft that was settled in 2004 for $536 million. Its leadership saw significant changes; after Ray Noorda, Eric Schmidt served as CEO from 1997 to 2001 before leaving for Google. Later CEOs included Jack Messman and Ron Hovsepian. In 2010, the company agreed to be acquired by The Attachmate Group for $2.2 billion, a deal that also involved the sale of hundreds of patents to a consortium led by Microsoft and Apple Inc.. Novell operated as a subsidiary before being fully merged into the British software firm Micro Focus in 2014.

Legacy and impact

Novell's legacy is deeply embedded in the history of enterprise computing. Its NetWare platform was instrumental in popularizing the local area network and establishing the client–server model as a corporate standard. The architectural concepts behind Novell Directory Services (NDS) profoundly influenced later directory services, including Microsoft Active Directory. Although it lost the platform wars to Microsoft, its technologies in network security, directory management, and system administration laid groundwork for modern IT infrastructure. The company's later embrace of Linux and open source, through its stewardship of SUSE Linux and contributions to projects like GNOME and Mono (software), ensured its technologies continued to evolve within the broader open-source software ecosystem.

Category:Computer companies of the United States Category:Companies based in Utah Category:Software companies established in 1979 Category:Defunct software companies