Migrating the Desktop
Microsoft Windows to Novell LINUX Desktop

Paul Rice

Global Solutions Manager – Linux Solutions

Solutions Creation & Marketing

Novell, Inc.

Erica Royer

Global Marketing Specialist – Linux Solutions

Solutions Creation & Marketing

Novell, Inc.

Agenda

Identifying Linux desktop adoption opportunities

Linux desktop migration considerations

Novell Linux Desktop 9

Migration methods and tools

Real project results

Questions and answers

Identifying Linux desktop adoption opportunities

Growing interest in the Linux desktop

Is the Linux desktop ready for enterprise deployment?

2004 Forrester survey: 45% of respondents say that they are already using Linux on some desktops, or they plan to use or evaluate Linux desktops within the year

—Open Source Moves Into The Mainstream, Forrester Research, March 2004

Base: 85 North American firms that use or plan to use open source software

Evaluate the Linux desktop against your own enterprise needs—market hype aside.

Consider a wide variety of adoption opportunities

Gartner has encouraged organizations to “fight the temptation to make Linux desktops an 'all or none' decision, and to select the right users to migrate.”

—How to Select a Client Operating System, Gartner, April 2004

A thorough evaluation

Analyze the organizational structure of your enterprise

Evaluate and prioritize selected environments

Evaluate application alternatives

Evaluate Linux desktop distributions

Create a road map for Linux desktop adoption

Organizational views
geographical location of users

Provo, Utah

Boston

Amsterdam

London

Organizational views
work roles

External Facing

Marketing

Development

Finance

Customer Support

Inventory and Supply

Account Management

Internal Facing

Analyze the organizational structure of your enterprise

Interaction among groups

Application usage

Browser-based desktop environments

Critical job roles

Technical ability

Workstation environments

Hardware and operating systems

Linux desktops already in the enterprise

Task-oriented workstations

Help desks and call centers

Developer environments

Point-of-sale terminals

Novell, Ernie Ball, and the City of Munich have found the Linux desktop to be a viable solution in their general corporate environments—on every desktop.

Evaluate and prioritize
selected environments

Potential benefits & costs

Early adoption groups

Appropriateness of current platform

Application dependencies

Application dependencies

Focus on the application features being used

Include interdependencies between groups

Prioritize the less-dependent environments

Evaluate and prioritize
selected environments (cont.)

Support contracts

Level of effort

Interoperability requirements

Impact on user community

Impact on user community

Important factors to consider:

The user’s skill level

How much of the user’s day is spent using desktop tools

Outside factors that might come into play

Remember. . .

Document both the positive and negative aspects of your evaluation.

Positive results translate into short-term opportunities

Negative results translate into specific requirements for future adoption opportunities

Evaluate application alternatives

Begin with the applications in your high priority environments

Questions for each application:

Is there a Linux version of the existing application?

If not, is there a comparable Linux alternative?

If neither, is there viable option?

Evaluate Linux desktop distributions

Beware of market hype

There's a lot of hype out there around all the Linux desktop distributions.

Make sure your decision is based on the features and functionality that are necessary to support your business objectives.

Evaluate Linux desktop distributions

Look for specific measurable factors, such as:

Interoperability & certification

Support

Ease of installation

Management

Activity in the open source community

Future product road maps

Create a road map for
Linux desktop adoption

Business and technical strategies

Business continuity requirements

Other initiatives or events

Interim migration steps

Test groups

Support contracts and licensing agreements

Linux desktop migration considerations

Considerations
guidance needed on many fronts

Where is your enterprise going?

What is your vision? What are your goals?

What are your problems? What are your opportunities?

How can Open Source capabilities help you meet your objectives?

What are your technical and application environments?

How should you evolve your Open Source technologies?

Do you have the right sponsorship for Open Source initiatives?

Will Open Source initiatives face resistance?

How can you secure sponsorship & promote acceptance of change?

What are the main risk factors for your Open Source initiatives?

How do you manage large initiatives?

Will Open Source initiative compete with other initiatives?

Strategy

Organization & Process

Technology

People & Change Management

Project Management & Governt.

Core

Elements

Migration considerations
how do you approach this effort?

The “Big Bang” - rip and replace

Incremental go-forward migration

Go-forward migration/dual boot

Three different approaches (okay – maybe just two)

Migration scenario
the “big bang”

A “Big Bang” migration is not appropriate due to:

Lack of availability and support of all applications on Linux

Still need to run a business

Hardware compatibility issues

Labor effort required to make the transition

Real-time training efforts for all users

Incremental
how we chose to approach the effort

Migration scenario
an incremental approach

Step 1: Migration of all users with standard applications which are available through a terminal server

Users getting familiar with a Linux desktop

No additional hardware costs using existing hardware

No Windows licensing costs for new hardware

Step 2: Microsoft Office migration to OpenOffice.org

All Microsoft Access, VBA apps, Microsoft Office macros and templates will be replaced and migrated

All desktops (Linux and Windows) and terminal servers will be migrated to OpenOffice.org

The exchange of all documents is then standardized

Step 3: Replacement/migration of all other applications

All other applications will be replaced or migrated

All desktops will be migrated to the Linux desktop

If necessary, special applications remain in a terminal server environment

Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office licensing costs are cut down

Novell Linux Desktop 9

Novell Linux Desktop 9
Overview

Novell Linux Desktop 9 is an enterprise-ready user productivity environment that gives businesses what they need to leverage Linux and open source with confidence.

Complete business productivity suite
for the most important business tasks

Enterprise deployment and maintenance features
cut costs with pattern-based installs

Powered by SUSE® LINUX
ensuring high performance, security and reliability

Backed by Novell
helping businesses deploy Linux with confidence

Novell Linux Desktop 9
Enables end-user productivity

Novell Linux Desktop provides the basic applications required to support a productive workforce

Novell Evolution

Linux Kernel 2.6

Mozilla Firefox

OpenOffice.org

Novell Edition

Office suite

E-mail, calendaring and collaboration

Web browser

Broad hardware support

Novell Linux Desktop 9
Office productivity suite

OpenOffice.org 1.1.x Novell Edition

Integrated for look and feel with the Novell Linux Desktop

Novell Evolution integration

Send document as e-mail (from File menu)

Evolution contacts are an accessible data source (e.g., for mail merges)

Supports native Microsoft Office file formats

Improved document fidelity through font matching

Export to Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF)

Novell Edition

Novell Linux Desktop 9
E-mail, calendaring, contacts, tasks

Novell Evolution

Most popular e-mail client on Linux

Supports IMAP, POP, SMTP and authenticated SMTP

iCalendar support allows users in disparate collaboration servers

Support for LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) enables users to access their existing company address books

Users share contact information via vCard support

Support for Microsoft Exchange

Novell Linux Desktop 9
Full GroupWise® client

GroupWise customers can use the GroupWise multi-platform client

JAVA-based

Runs on Linux and Mac

Traditional GroupWise collaboration features

Not included in NLD 9

Available separately to GroupWise customers

Future version Novell Evolution will have native GroupWise connectivity (Spring '05)

Novell Linux Desktop 9
Internet browser

Mozilla Firefox

Compatible with many Internet Explorer-specific web sites

16% browser market share and growing

Broad corporate sponsors

AOL, IBM, Sun, Google, Novell

Tighter security

Blocks pop-ups

Protects from ActiveX controls

End-user accommodations

Built-in Google, Dictionary, Yahoo!, etc.

Tabbed browsing

Macromedia Flash Player

Themed to match Novell Linux Desktop

Over 150 free extensions available online

Novell Linux Desktop 9
Instant messaging

Gaim

Gaim is a multi-protocol instant messaging client for Linux, BSD, MacOS X, and Windows.

Supports simultaneous logins to popular messaging services

AIM, ICQ, IRC, Jabber, GroupWise Messenger, Gadu-Gadu, MSN, Zephyr, Yahoo! and Napster

Novell Linux Desktop 9
Data synchronization

Novell iFolder® 2.1 (client)

Novell iFolder is an enterprise service for synchronizing local workstation data to a central server

Assures disparately stored data can be centrally backed up

Allows a user to synchronize data between multiple workstations, whether Windows- or Linux-based

Novell iFolder can be hosted securely on multiple server platforms, including Novell Open Enterprise Server

Information at www.novell.com/ifolder

Powered by SUSE LINUX
Supported by Novell

Powered by SUSE LINUX

Common code base guarantees:

All platforms benefit from updates/bug fixes

Uniform hardware testing

Consistent management tools

Inherited security certifications (CAPP/EAL4+)

Kernel 2.6 means greater performance including better handling of multiple applications and improved power management

Supported by Novell

Enterprise-tested patches and updates

Linux training and certification

24 x 7 x 365 global support

Novell Linux Desktop 9
For more product information

http://www.novell.com/products/desktop/

Migration methods and tools

Manual procedures

Move network and local hard disk files

Move custom dictionaries

Move macros

Move e-mail

Move user preferences

1

2

3

4

5

Automated migration process

My documents

Specific folders

Specific files and file types

E-mails and e-mail folders

Address book

Web browser short cuts and cookies

Fonts

Settings

Operating systems supported

Windows® 95

Windows® 98

Windows® 98SE

Windows® Millennium

Windows® NT

Windows® 2000

Windows® XP

Novell Linux Desktop

SuSE

Mandrake

Redhat

TurboLinux

E-mail packages supported

Outlook

Outlook Express

Evolution

Thunderbird

Migration methods and tools

Alacos – Linux Migration Agent

Resolvo - Move Over

Versora - Progression Desktop

Real project results

Novell's Linux Migration
conceptual

Novell's Linux Migration
major elements

Migration Costs
OpenOffice.org

2.3%

45.9%

1.1%

50.7%

Macro Redevelopment

Indirect End-User Expense

Migration Project Labor

Training & Support

Migration Costs
Novell Linux Desktop

9.7%

9.7%

39.1%

26.7%

2.7%

12.1%

Application Conversion

Indirect End-User Expense

Migration Project Labor

Training & Support

IT Installation Labor

Miscellaneous Software

Desktop ROI
desktop migration pre-tax cash flows

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

$4.5

$4.0

$3.5

$3.0

$2.5

$2.0

$1.5

$1.0

$0.5

$0.0

($0.5)

($1.0)

($1.5)

($2.0)

($2.5)

($3.0)

($3.5)

Cumulative Cash Flow

Reduced PC Purchase Cost

Avoided Software Licenses

Application & Macro Conversion

Indirect End-User Expense

Migration Proj. Labor

Training & Support

IT Installation Labor

Miscellaneous Software

Software Maintenance

in millions

Questions & Answers

- Intro/one Net – 5min.

- Mahle Group – 5min.

- Project init – 5 min.

- Project scope – 15 min.

- Project pilot – 5min.

- Novell Linux Desktop – 10 min.

- Project results – 15 min.

- Next steps – 5 min.

- Q & A – 10 min.

Project results:

The biggest issue during the project was the usage of OpenOffice!

Software Distribution is a key issue!

The users have been happy having the ability and flexibility to customize their desired desktop configuration.

How many costs could be saved if using open source products (i.e. OpenOffice vs. MS Office)? (percentage)

Project scope:

IBM Notes usage is key. Notes is used not only as a collaboration solution but with a lot of database and workflow functionality.

SAP BusinessWarehouse is THE inhibitor for migrating to Linux desktop!!! It needs an MS Excel integration which is not available for other office apps.

How many of you are currently using Linux desktops?

How many of you plan to within the next year?

You are not alone. The Linux desktop is picking up steam. Forrester surveyed 140 companies in North America last year, and of the ones that already use or plan to use open source, 45% said that they were either already using Linux on some desktops, or they planned to use or evaluate them within the next year.

We don't have numbers for this year yet, but the interest is definitely mounting.

Every organization is going to have unique requirements when it comes to desktops. For example, Novell is working on adopting Linux desktops across the board. We've had some glitches, but overall, it is working well for us. That's because it was a strategic business decision and the whole company is behind it.

I doubt any of the organizations represented in this room have a Linux agenda like Novell. Your organization is going to have to decide what is best for your organization.

First of all, it's important that you approach this evaluation with an open mind. As Gartner says, you shouldn't “make Linux desktops an 'all or none' decision.” Some user and workstation environments will benefit from a move to Linux. Some will not.

I'm going to give you some guidelines on how to decide which is which.

This is an overview of the process I'm about to describe to you.

I could read this slide to you, but instead, I'll let you read it while I tell you that if you like what you hear in this part of the presentation, we have a whole white paper about this that we'll be passing out as you leave the session.

Okay, so the first thing you're going to do is analyze the organizational structure of your enterprise.

This means that you're going to look at your organization from various angles so that you can get a holistic view of your workstation and user environments.

For example, you are looking at a simple graphical representation of a company based on the geographical location of users. This is one view, and when you get into the details of it, it should tell you things like, how many users you have in each office, what operating systems they are running, how many IT personnel are supporting them, how many users are remote, and so on.

This view segments users according to the type of work they perform. It will tell you things like which user groups are using which applications, and which ones interact or share applications with external groups.

For example, customer support is externally facing, but it may simply consist of a call center where users currently use one or two applications on Windows. Account management may have to share documents back and forth with customers (who will probably still be using Windows applications), but the development group may have very few strong ties to their Windows workstations.

Once you understand the various groups, you'll start to look at things like how they are actually using their applications, how they interact with each other, and which ones has specific requirements that can complicate any migration, not just a Windows to Linux migration.

These are some more views that will help you analyze the organizational structure of your enterprise.

For Interaction among groups, you want to pay special attention software interoperability requirements from group to group.

Application usage means looking at how users are using their applications, not just what is installed. For example, nurses in a hospital may only be using Microsoft Office to view e-mail attachments. In this case, they will likely have an almost identical experience using OpenOffice.org on a Linux desktop.

Browser-based desktop environments are excellent candidates for migration.

Critical job roles are the ones that may have special requirements that complicate the migration.

You'll want to identify which users will have a more difficult time migrating versus power users that may serve as early adopters or mentors for others. Be careful not to confuse a power user with someone who has become very familiar with the advanced features of a single application. Often these users are less receptive to change because they have become dependent on the tools they know

Environments that focus more on the workstation than the users, such as single-purpose workstations are often easiest to migrate.

You'll also want to make a note of all of the environments with hardware or operating systems that are or soon will be out of date. Often, these environments are out of date because you don't need the new features of the latest releases and find it difficult to justify the cost of upgrading.

There may be other ways to analyze the various groups within your organization, which will become apparent as you work with these suggestions I've shown you.

Once you understand the various environments within your organization, you're going to evaluate and prioritize them according to which ones will be the most well-suited for Linux.

On the slide behind me is a list of environments that other organizations have already proven to be well-suited to Linux. We recommend that you focus on these types of environments first, but don't stop there. Just because adopting Linux desktops in these environments proved beneficial for other organizations does not guarantee they will be beneficial for yours. Pay careful attention to the needs and priorities of your own enterprise and how well Linux meets your requirements.

The same logic applies when considering Linux as an alternative for knowledge workers. While only a few organizations have embraced Linux desktops across their entire user environments, you may find that your organization is ready to become one of the few. Even if you decide that now is not a good time for a wholesale migration, you'll at least have a clearer understanding of your future requirements.

Priorities will of course vary from organization to organization. I'm going to go through a few suggestions that will hopefully help you identify your own priorities.

Each environment will have different set of potential benefits and costs. You'll want to weigh these in relation to each other. For example, at Novell, we found that the cost of training users was minimal compared to the benefit of dropping our corporate Microsoft licenses.

You'll want to look for groups that may be used as early adopters for a proof of concept or pilot project. These groups can help you identify and avoid potential problems, and they can server as mentors throughout the rest of the migration process.

When you consider the appropriateness of the current platform, remember that the one-size-fits-all desktop model has worked for the past ten years mostly because there were no other sizes. With the Linux desktop, you can create environments that are fit-for-purpose.

When you look at application dependencies, make sure you are clear about what constitutes a dependency. Users may only be using a subset of an application's features that can easily be replaced with another Linux-friendly application.

For example, Novell has a customer that was considering a move to OpenOffice as the first step in its strategy to move to Linux desktops. When we surveyed users for that customer, we found that 90% of the features actually being used in Microsoft Office were either the same or almost the same in OpenOffice.

Also, remember that even if one group has no Windows application dependencies within the group, they may work with other internal or external groups that do have dependencies.

And of course, you'll want to prioritize the environments with fewer application dependencies.

Other things that you'll find will help you prioritize your environments are support contracts. If you feel like your vendors are forcing you to upgrade to an application or OS that your users don't need, you may find it more valuable long-term to consider open source or less expensive proprietary alternatives running on Linux.

Level of effort includes things like migrating the OS and applications, testing, training, and support estimates. At Novell, we've found that training and support were small compared to what we and everyone else expected. When you're looking at level of effort, don't limit your options to migrating users in one giant leap. You may find that you can introduce Linux as a part of the hardware refresh cycle, as the standard for new employees, or in soon-to-be created environments like a new department or regional office.

Interoperability between Windows- and Linux- based applications is less of a challenge today that it was a few years or even a few months ago. However, groups that are largely self-contained will usually have an easier time moving to Linux.

Here are some things to look at when you are evaluating your user communities:

- Most users' skill levels are pretty easy to gauge—except for power users. Sometimes your power users are your power users because they are more adept at learning new tools. But—and I touched on this earlier—sometimes, they are just really good at using one or two applications, which means they are more likely to be dependent on the applications and will have a harder time migrating

- Users that spend most of their day working in desktop applications will be impacted the most. But some of your users—such as college students, police officers, and doctors—spend most of their time using Web tools or they only occasionally use a computer. These occasional users will not be impacted as much at first, but it also may take them longer to get up to speed because they don't get as much exposure to the new environment.

- Outside factors include things such as a demanding accounting or sales time constraints, ongoing departmental workloads, and other projects that may be in progress at the time of migration. You users must continue to do their jobs.

Document both the positive and negative aspects of your evaluation. Remember that Linux desktop adoption does not have to be all-or-nothing or now or never. The positive results become short-term opportunities for some areas of your enterprise to move to a Linux desktop. The negative results become requirements that need to be met before considering Linux desktop adoption in other areas.

Evaluate application alternatives. This is the kicker, isn't it? Every time you start thinking about the Linux desktop, it comes back to this: What about the applications?

There are two things I want you to remember when you start thinking this:

- First of all, adopting Linux desktops does not have to be “all or none,” So stop thinking about all your applications at once. Take them one at a time, and you'll be surprised by how many can either be moved to or replaced on Linux. Some can't right now, and that's okay. You're only going to move the ones that can in the environments that are ready.

- Second, I want you to remember that Novell is doing it with all our applications. You're only doing it with some, but we're doing it with all of them, and we're almost done. Some of you may think we're a little bit crazy, and that's okay, too. Just as long as you remember that if Novell can do it with all our applications, you can do it with some.

On the slide behind me are three questions that Novell asked with every application.

- If there was a Linux version of the application, we jumped on it, of course. And actually, you'd be surprised by how this number is growing. And you can help it grow by putting pressure on your vendors to come up with their own Linux strategies.

- If there wasn't a Linux version, then we looked for a Linux alternative. Again, we found more that we expected. Remember—I've said this a few times already—compare features being used, not applications.

- And sometimes we had to find another option. This included things like using CrossOver Office, porting internal applications to Linux, or using terminal services. In your case, since I am assuming that you don't have Novell's Linux agenda, these applications will likely be the ones put on hold for now, but you should still keep track of them and document what it would take to move them over to Linux.

Next you have to make sure that there is a Linux distribution out there that can meet your needs. Now, you know we're biased here at BrainShare. In fact, Paul's going to pump you full of NLD in a few minutes. But before he does, I'm going to give you some guidelines for making a decision that is in line with your business objectives—not ours.

You want to get past the intangibles of perceived value and flashy marketing programs and look for specific measurable factors.

For example:

- Interoperability and certification: How many applications run on this distribution? Does it support the applications you must run? Are the applications certified by both the application vendor and distribution vendor? Many times what you end up with is an application that is certified by the application vendor, but only designated as “ready-to-use” by the distribution vendor. This can be a big difference, so you want to watch out for that.

Other questions that go with interoperability: Are the applications that are included with this distribution the ones that you really need? Are hardware and software vendors recommending the distribution for use with their products? Will the distribution integrate with your workload environment and identity infrastructure?

- Support: How many of you currently have a support agreement with Microsoft for your Windows workstations? And how many are supporting your Windows machines in house? See, it just depends on what your organization is comfortable with. For those of you that are supporting your Windows machines in house, you'll have the added resource of the open source community to help with your Linux machines. The open source community is an excellent resource and it typically has very good response rates, but clearly there are some of you that prefer to have the security of a support contract. You'll want to look for a vendor that can provide the right level of affordable support.

- Ease of installation: You'll need to decide whether or not a GUI installation is important to you. And, believe it or not, a distribution's installation method has a lot to do with the strength or lack of security in that particular distribution. Different distributions ship with security settings set to various defaults, some of them very insecure. To fix this, you have to manually modify these settings after the installation is complete, which increases the likelihood of mistakes.

- Management: How do you expect to manage your Linux workstations in the context of your existing environments? What processes and tools does each vendor have for distributing updates? How automated are they? Do they include automatic conflict resolution? Some vendors automatically send the updates, but then you have to take it from there. Does the vendor only provide updates for the distribution, or also for the software that sits on top?

- Activity in the open source community and future product road maps are both good indicators for how committed the vendor is to the flexibility of Linux and open source. One of the main reasons for dropping Microsoft is to avoid vendor lock-in. You don't want to choose a Linux vendor that's working on being the Microsoft of Linux. Pay attention to whether or not the vendor contributes to the open source community, and look carefully at the nature of their contributions. If they are mostly proprietary, then they may do more to fork Linux rather than embrace open source.

Whether or not you're actually committed to adopting Linux desktops at this point, we recommend that you create a road map—even if the Linux desktop part of it is all hypothetical. A road map is a great tool for understanding your Linux adoption opportunities in the context of your overall business strategies and for getting a clearer picture of what this effort will actually require. It's also useful for presenting your findings to appropriate decision makers.

We recommend that your road map cover at least 3 to 5 years. The more long term you make it, the more strategic significance it will have. As you do this, remember that just as Linux desktop adoption doesn't have to be all-or-nothing, it also doesn't have to be now-or-never.

- Business and technical strategies: Consider the direction your enterprise is moving as a whole and how IT investments might be affected in the near and long term. For example, are you looking for opportunities to cut long-term IT costs or for more flexibility in making IT decisions?

- Business continuity requirements can affect your road map in two ways. First, by this time you will have already identified areas where business continuity on the current desktop platform has been a challenge. You'll probably want to replace these desktops sooner than others that haven't had trouble. Second, you'll want to identify circumstances where business continuity cannot be interrupted, even for a migration. These may include mission-critical applications, quarterly reporting schedules, or expectations for seasonal high sales volumes.

- Other initiatives can either be obstacles to avoid or opportunities to pursue. Other projects with higher priority may have precedence over the next several quarters, preventing a Linux project. Or, they may be ideal opportunities to role two projects into one.

- Interim migration steps

- Test groups

- Support contracts and licensing agreements

“X Factors” – That May Affect or Alter Deployment Priorities

Departmental Events/Characteristics

Close of accounting period

Deal-Breaking Features or Functionality that affect ability to do work

Other Projects current ongoing in the department

Lack of management support or buy in (Resistance)

High dependence on MS Office

Dependence on Document Management System

Help Desk / Support System Constraints

Hardware and/or operating system upgrades needed

Others?

The “Big Bang” - Rip and Replace:

Re-image all PCs immediately, regardless of remaining PC lifetime

Incremental Go-Forward Migration:

Install Linux only when PCs will be imaged anyway -- newly purchased, repaired,

refreshed or recycled PCs

Go-Forward Migration/Dual Boot:

Migrate to a dual boot image to allow flexibility in converting client apps to Linux

Flexibility allows you to choose the best option:

Wait for the vendor to support a Linux client

Modify the client to run on Linux using Wine

Change vendors

In the meantime, users can access the app on a Windows partition under a perpetual license

Products such as VMWare allow hot switching to a Windows virtual machine

“Big Bang” is also what we would describe as Windows on Friday, Linux on Monday

this is a build slide – remember to click the mouse to complete the build

During all 3 steps the migrated users will be trained on the new Desktop environment. No need to train all the users at one time!!!

Novell Linux Desktop is more than merely a client operating system. It also comes with the basic productivity applications end users need to perform their work.

These components include:

An office suite (OpenOffice.org, covered next slide)

A collaboration client (Novell Evolution, covered in two slides)

A complete web browser (Mozilla Firefox, covered 3rd slide from here)

These components can be hosted more efficiently and on a broader range of hardware than other Linux desktop distributions because Novell Linux Desktop uses Linux kernel 2.6.

Supports native Microsoft Office file formats

OOo sport compatability; not fidelity. Some formatting from MS Office to OOo will vary.

Improved document fidelity through font matching; we do this through AGFA font matching and font set. This gets us closer to document fidelity with MS Office than the non Novell OOo.

Novell Edition of OOo preserves MS Office macros. While most of these macros don't work, the difference here is that the standard edition of OOo strips out MS Office macros when the document is modified in OOo.

Novell Evolution integrations

Send document as e-mail (from File menu)

Evolution contacts are an accessible data source (e.g. for mail merges)

Integrated for look and feel with the Novell Linux Desktop

Icons in button bars match desktop environment

Fonts in OOo menus and dialogs match the ones used in the desktop environment

Widgets, button bars and other elements match style of chosen desktop theme

File selection dialog uses the native desktop dialogs rather than OOo dialogs

Printers configured in for NLD are available in OOo. (Instead of showing as the far more cryptic “/usr/bin/lpr”)

All fonts installed in NLD are available in OOo.

File access from any source accessible to NLD are available in OOo (so network files open and save seamlessly, as you would expect)

The multiplatform client for GroupWise is an interim solution for GroupWise customers who wish to use NLD. The long-term direction for GroupWise access from NLD is Novell Evolution. The Evolution and GroupWise engineering teams are making changes to both products to enable GroupWise connectivity for Evolution through a connector similar to the Exchange connector for Evolution.

[One note to point out is that the GroupWise windows client is not currently scheduled for a replacement with Evolution, nor does Novell intend to halt engineering on the Win32 GroupWise client. --Ted Haeger]

Novell Linux Desktop includes an open source instant messaging client that supports the most common messaging protocols including AOL*, Yahoo!* and MSN. In addition, the messaging client supports Novell GroupWise Instant Messenger for secure instant communication inside an organization.

This slide can also work in positioning how NLD can interoperate well in a mixed Windows environment.

Novell Linux Desktop comes with client software for Novell iFolder® 2. Novell iFolder is an enterprise service that can be hosted on a secure server platform, such as the forthcoming Novell Open Enterprise Server. The Novell iFolder 2 client synchronizes files from a local folder on a user's workstation to a central iFolder server, where data can be backed up as part of your organization's regular backup systems. Data stored in a user's iFolder can also be synchronized to other workstations with an iFolder client, whether on Microsoft Windows* or Novell Linux Desktop. Users experience the convenience of having their files available at work, home or on the go while enjoying worry-free security and high-speed mobility. For more information, visit http://www.novell.com/ifolder

After-tax ROI:

5 year Net Present Value = $2.3 million

Internal Rate of Return = 84%

Payback Period = 30 months

This ROI does not include the additional benefits of a Linux strategy:

Reduced vulnerability to virus and security attacks

Simpler operations from a single operating system from the PDA to the mainframe

Single skill base across platforms

2003-12-08T12:43:39