Novell Submits Research to Facilitate Key eCommerce Standard

• Provision of DirXML work to OASIS will help drive standards to integrate directory technology and XML, the language of eBusiness
• Novell's directory leadership is a key for generating standards for next generation of eCommerce services

Novell, the leading provider of Net services software, announced today that it will turn over significant directory-related research and intellectual property to a key standards body to help accelerate the development and adoption of an industry-wide approach to integrating directory technology into eBusiness. Novell, whose NDS® eDirectory has led the directory market for the last nine years, will be contributing research on its DirXML, a data sharing and synchronization product, to the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS). OASIS will use Novell's expertise to help accelerate the development of the Directory Service Markup Language — an initiative aimed at tying the network and identity management power of the directory with the transaction capabilities of XML, the language of eBusiness. As the only company currently shipping products with this essential application integration capability, Novell brings significant value to the OASIS process, and hopes to help generate new standards that will help companies, service providers, and end users get the most value possible from directory services.

Over the last several years, Novell has devoted significant resources to develop new ways for companies to leverage directory technology, the foundation for managing users and devices across networks, both within the enterprise and on the Net. With nearly 139 million users of Novell's eDirectory worldwide, Novell has proven its leadership in this area, with tested reliability, scalability, and security. "A key challenge many companies face is the existence of multiple directories in the corporate network, each managing a different application, for example e-mail or human resources," said Carl Ledbetter, Chief Technology Officer and senior vice president for business development at Novell. "Keeping these directories in synch and efficiently managing multiple applications from multiple vendors is a huge drain on IT resources. Novell developed DirXML, an XML based directory integration technology, to address this problem." DirXML has been available and shipping since fall 2000, and has been successfully integrated into many customer environments including Freddie Mac, Toyota and the US Navy.

Technology companies within the industry, recognizing the significant potential benefits of getting directories to effectively talk to one another, have turned to OASIS for a solution, establishing the DSML Technical Committee to work toward an industry-wide approach to leveraging the directory for eBusiness. DSML 1.0, launched in 1999 by directory vendor Bowstreet with the backing of Novell and others, was an important first step, providing a common way to describe what was in a directory. DSML 2.0, currently in development with the OASIS DSML Technical Committee, is more ambitious, aimed at generating a standard XML-based approach to querying and modifying directory data that will make the directory a much more powerful underlying tool for eBusiness applications. Progress on DSML 2.0, however, has been limited due to the technical complexities involved. Novell's contribution of its DirXML research will significantly accelerate this process, helping develop a standard to not only view directory data, but interact with it as well. Novell's decision reflects its ongoing commitment to open standards, a key to the emerging one Net economy.

"I'm delighted that Novell is donating their extensive work on DirXML to the OASIS DSML Technical Committee," said James Tauber, Director of XML Technology at Bowstreet and Chairman of the OASIS DSML Technical Committee. "By leveraging Novell's existing work, the Technical Committee will be more equipped to meet its objective of providing a standard way to modify and query directory information using XML. The contribution has energized the committee and enabled us to move forward more quickly."

Novell has long recognized the value of the directory as a foundation for network management and security. This remains true today, as corporate intranets, extranets, and the Internet merge into a single unified Net, posing new challenges. Novell strongly supports efforts like those of OASIS to drive standards and interoperability into the technology market, opening up new areas of opportunity to leverage the directory. Novell's decision to provide expertise and intellectual property to support this process reflects this commitment. As the industry's leading directory supplier, Novell stands to gain when customers, service providers, and end users can recognize new benefits from directory services thanks to common efforts like this.

About Novell
Novell, Inc. (NASDAQ:NOVL), is the leading provider of Net services software that delivers services to secure and power all types of networks the Internet, intranets, and extranets; wired to wireless; corporate and public across leading operating systems. Novell's Net services software provides the foundation for one Net a single global network that supports new applications and forms of business. Worldwide channel, consulting, education and technical support programs, along with strategic alliances, combine Novell Net services software with third-party products and services to form complete Net solutions.

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