KT to deliver Linux for enterprise use

Fixed-line telephony operator KT Corp. will align with U.S. software maker Novell Inc. to market open-source solutions for corporate customers, the company said yesterday.

Under an agreement reached by both companies Monday, KT will sell Novell’s open-source products such as the Suse Linux Enterprise Server operating systems and other enterprise computing applications through its domestic marketing network.

Novell will transfer some of its open-source technology to its Korean partner through joint research and development activities.

The companies declined to comment on pricing and general availability.

“We haven’t been able to offer a comprehensive range of open-source computing solutions to our corporate customers and we believe our partnership with Novell will help us further expand in markets for enterprise computing and systems integration,” said Kim Jae-gun of KT’s systems integration business team.

Open source describes software for which the source code is freely available, allowing programmers to develop the system independently.

Companies and government institutes in Asia have been intensifying their efforts to promote open-source software, in part to guard against the over-reliance of U.S. software developer Microsoft Inc.’s Windows operating system on desktops and servers.

Last year, government authorities from Korea, Japan and China reached an agreement to support the use of open-source computing systems in the countries and set compatible standards.

Novell provides enterprise computing solutions and Net services software to large-scale corporations and public institutions in North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific.

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