{"id":655224,"date":"2013-04-30T08:00:41","date_gmt":"2013-04-30T12:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gigaom.com\/?p=640738"},"modified":"2013-04-30T08:00:41","modified_gmt":"2013-04-30T12:00:41","slug":"novell-eyeing-brand-revival-aims-at-on-premise-sharing-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/655224","title":{"rendered":"Novell, eyeing brand revival, aims at on-premise sharing space"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a new contender in the document-sharing space, with security features that should ingratiate it to businesses and differentiate it from Dropbox and other cloud-storage providers. But the name of the vendor is not new.<\/p>\n

Novell \u2014 the company that dominated the network operating system market with NetWare before running into the Microsoft Windows NT\/Windows Server buzzsaw and coming out with open enterprise server and identity and access management software \u2014 is releasing Filr<\/a>. It\u2019s the first Novell product that\u00a0doesn\u2019t build on existing products since Novell was acquired by the Attachmate Group<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bob Flynn, Novell\u2019s president and general manager, wants to reposition the company as lively and innovative but also reliable in its core strengths in networking and file management. Flynn sees the company\u2019s software assets as strong but said the brand still suffers\u00a0in the aftermath of the company\u2019s rough patch. Whenever he hears from a company that doesn\u2019t want to buy from Novell anymore, he asks why. It\u2019s usually not the technology or the user experience that gets in the way. Rather, it\u2019s the company itself. \u201cWell, I haven\u2019t heard from you guys in years, and you\u2019re sitting right in the middle of my infrastructure, running mission-critical stuff for me. Where are you going? What do you expect me to do?\u201d he said, representing the sentiments of an unhappy customer. That\u2019s what Flynn is trying to change.<\/p>\n

So here comes Filr, which will be generally available on Tuesday. On the front end, browser, desktop, iPad, iPhone and Android applications keep files arranged in neat areas: those available inside an enterprise\u2019s network, those that people have shared with a user and those that are exclusive to the user. On the back end, the software runs as a virtual appliance, files can sync up, and deployments can be made to comply with security standards a customer has in place.<\/p>\n

\"Novell<\/a><\/p>\n

Novell Filr iPhone and iPad apps.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Companies that already pay Novell for maintenance of Open Enterprise Server software will get complimentary access to Filr. Others can get the product for $45 per user per year.<\/p>\n

Bringing a safe solution to the bring-your-own-device party isn\u2019t the most surprising move. Arguably it should have come sooner. Flynn said the idea was on the drawing board soon after the Attachmate Group closed on its acquisition of Novell in 2011, but executives wanted to focus on rolling out additions to existing products first. Now that Novell has introduced Filr, it, along with a dozen other companies, will try to become the Dropbox of the enterprise<\/a>, and with an on-premise option it will compete with\u00a0Microsoft SharePoint<\/a>, FileReflex<\/a>, mobilEcho<\/a> and others.<\/p>\n

Novell might not succeed at this \u2014 the company shuttered<\/a> its Vibe Cloud collaboration offering a couple of years ago. Then again, maybe the company is different now. Flynn certainly seems up for leading the charge of a turnaround.<\/p>\n

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