News

Novell Appoints Exec To Monitor Microsoft Deal

• By Stuart J. Johnston
• November 30, 2006

Novell Inc. has appointed Susan Heystee, recently named vice president and general manager for Global Strategic Partners, to manage the interoperability relationship it announced with Microsoft in early November.

According to a statement released by Waltham, Mass.-based Novell, Heystee will oversee both the business and technical cooperation components of the agreement. The idea is to have a high-level executive who ensures that Novell customers "gain the maximum benefit from interoperability work around Linux."

Heystee already oversees Novell's relationships with IBM, HP and Dell, and now adds Microsoft to the list. She will oversee the multiple facets of the Microsoft agreement, including technical cooperation efforts on virtualization, Web services management and document compatibility, as well as the business relationship around Microsoft distribution of SuSE Linux Enterprise Server subscriptions, plus joint marketing and sales cooperation.

She was hired at Novell in March 2004 as vice president and area general manager for the Midwest and was promoted in August of last year to president of Novell Americas. In that role, she oversaw sales, consulting and customer support for Novell in the region. Prior to joining Novell, Heystee held senior positions with SSA global and Baan, where she was executive vice president.