Novell and Linux Professional Institute Partner on Linux Training and Certification

WALTHAM, Mass. - Novell Inc. (NASDAQ: NOVL) and The Linux Professional Institute (LPI) today announced an international partnership to standardize their entry-level Linux certification programs on LPIC-1. Under this program, Linux professionals who have earned their LPIC-1 status will also satisfy the requirements for the Novell® Certified Linux Administrator (CLA) certification. In addition, Novell Training Services has formally agreed to include required LPIC-1 learning objectives in its CLA course training material.

"As a proven provider of enterprise software and services for more than 25 years, and the provider of the most interoperable Linux platform, Novell is well positioned to deliver a comprehensive training program that ensures Linux professionals can achieve the globally recognized LPIC-1 certification enabling them to address diverse data center requirements with technical skill and confidence" said Markus Rex, general manager and senior vice president for Open Platform Solutions at Novell.

Adoption of Linux, including SUSE® Linux Enterprise from Novell, is accelerating as the industry pursues cost saving solutions that deliver maximum reliability and manageability. A 2009 global survey of IT executives revealed that 40 percent of survey participants plan to deploy additional workloads on Linux over the next 12-24 months and 49 percent indicated Linux will be their primary server platform within five years.

"This partnership represents the strong support the LPI certification program has within the wider IT and Linux community. This historical support has included contributions from vendors such as Novell and has assisted LPI to become the most widely recognized and accepted Linux certification" said Jim Lacey, president and CEO of LPI. "We look forward to working with Novell to promote the further development of the Linux workforce of the future. In particular, by aligning its training and exam preparation curriculum to support LPIC-1 objectives, Novell has recognized the industry’s need for a vendor-neutral certification program that prepares IT professionals to work with any Linux distribution in an enterprise environment"

Under the terms of the agreement, all qualified* LPIC-1 holders will have the opportunity to apply for Novell CLA certification without additional exams or fees. Novell Training Services will include LPIC-1 objectives into its Linux Administrator curriculum and programs which include self study, on demand, and partner-led classroom training.

"As an authorized training partner within the Novell PartnerNet® program, SwitchDesk has trained the IT staff from some of the nation’s top companies such as Ford Motor Company, Boeing, Macromedia, NASA and many more" said Chris Clark, president and CEO, SwitchDesk, Inc. "We are pleased to see LPI and Novell partner to develop aligned course content objectives and deliver dual certification so our customers will be equipped with a broad skill set"

More information about acquiring dual certification status can be found at Novell: http://www.novell.com/training/certinfo/cla/, and at the Linux Professional Institute: http://www.lpi.org/cla.

*This program is not available in Japan.

About Linux Professional Institute
The Linux Professional Institute promotes and certifies essential skills on Linux and Open Source technologies through the global delivery of comprehensive, top-quality, vendor-independent exams. Established as an international non-profit organization in September 1999 by the Linux community, the Linux Professional Institute continues to demonstrate recognized global leadership in the certification of Linux professionals. LPI advances the Linux and Open Source movement through strategic partners, sponsorships, innovative programs and community development activities. LPI’s major financial sponsors are Platinum Sponsors IBM, Linux Journal, Linux Magazine, Novell, SGI, and TurboLinux as well as Gold Sponsors, HP and IDG. LPI’s certification program is supported by an affiliate network spanning five continents and is distributed worldwide in multiple languages in more than 7,000 testing locations. LPI has delivered over 230,000 exams and 75,000 LPIC certifications around the world
About Novell

Novell, Inc. (Nasdaq: NOVL) delivers the best engineered, most interoperable Linux platform and a portfolio of integrated IT management software that helps customers around the world reduce cost, complexity and risk. With our infrastructure software and ecosystem of partnerships, Novell harmoniously integrates mixed IT environments, allowing people and technology to work as one. For more information, visit www.novell.com.