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Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2000 18:14:35 +0200
From: Michaela Geuthner <mg@suse.de>
To: lwn@lwn.net
Subject:  "SuSE Expands Partner Program For ISVs And Resellers, Offering Co-Marketing and Support"

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SuSE Expands Partner Program For ISVs And Resellers, Offering Co-Marketing
and Support


NUREMBERG, GERMANY - July 18th, 2000 - Today SuSE Linux, the international
technology leader and solution provider in open source operating system (OS)
software, announced it is expanding its Business Partner Program,
offering worldwide co-marketing and support programs specifically
targeting resellers and ISVs.

"Application developers, system integrators, resellers as well as system
houses benefit enormously from a partnership with Linux specialists," said
Rolf Haberrecker, Director of Channel Marketing, SuSE Linux AG.

The program consists of two major areas:

- Reseller Programs: At the entry level, the Product Partner Program
supports resellers and system houses by providing extensive product
information and marketing materials at no charge.

When joining the mid-level SuSE Value Partner program, VARs implementing
Linux solutions receive additional Linux support in the form of training
courses and workshops, installation support, newsletters and a partner Web
site. At the premium SuSE Business Partner level, customers additionally
receive advanced versions of the various SuSE Linux products, project
assistance through SuSE Support, and are eligible for co-marketing
activities such as shared exhibition at trade shows.

- ISV Partner Programs: The SuSE Software Partner program supports
application developers market their solutions on SuSE Linux. The entry level
of the two-tiered program provides certification of the member's product by
SuSE Linux. The Software Partners also receive access to online forums, beta
CDs, events, workshops, and other benefits and discounts.

The premium-level program, SuSE Software Business Partner, offers companies
the possibility to include their software on the SuSE Linux distribution.
Software and application developers receive all of the benefits of both the
Business Partner and Software Partner programs as well as SuSE's support
value package.

"The Business Partner Program ensures that SuSE Linux continues to set the
quality standard for Linux and becomes the leading platform in professional
environments," commented Dirk Hohndel, CTO of SuSE Linux. "Its stability
and flexibility make SuSE Linux an ideal platform for multiple
applications in advanced enterprises. With SuSE Linux support, many IT
managers have launched a mid-term or long-term Linux migration strategy."

About SuSE:

Founded in 1992, SuSE is the international technology leader and solution
provider in open source operating system (OS) software, setting new
standards for quality and ease of use. Its award-winning SuSE Linux 6.3 and
the newly released 6.4 include thousands of third party Linux applications
supported by extensive professional consulting and support services,
excellent documentation, comprehensive hardware support, and an encyclopedic
set of Linux tools. Designed for Web and enterprise server environments and
efficient as a home and office platform, SuSE's distribution, surrounding
features, effective configuration and intelligent design result in the most
complete Linux solution available today.

SuSE Linux AG, headquartered in Germany is a privately held company focused
entirely on supporting the Linux community and Open Source development. With
a workforce of over 450 people worldwide, SuSE has offices in Europe, the
US, and Latin America. More than 50,000 business customers use SuSE Linux
worldwide due to its stability and high quality. SuSE contributes
considerably to Linux development projects such as the Linux kernel, glibc,
XFree86TM, KDE, ISDN4Linux, ALSA (Advanced Linux Sound Architecture) and USB
(Universal Serial Bus).

SuSE received the "Show Favorites" award at LinuxWorld Expo 2000 in New York
in March 1999 and February 2000.

Additional information about SuSE can be found at http://www.suse.de/en/ or
http://www.suse.com

Contact:
Michaela Geuthner
International Marketing
SuSE GmbH
Schanzaeckerstr. 10
D-90443 Nuremberg
E-Mail: mg@suse.de
T:  +49-911-74053-196
F:  +49-911-74053-479