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February 16, 2009

Friday afternoon, Novell announced that it has signed a cooperation agreement with the China Standard Software Company (CS2C), a leading Linux development and system integration company in China.

Together, Novell and CS2C will promote the development and promotion of Linux in China, and combine resources on distribution of technology and services for the country.

Qin Yong, CS2C executive v.p. said in a company statement "as a team, we will boost the acceptance of Linux in the Chinese IT industry. We are looking forward to closer cooperation with Novell in the future, and we are excited of the outcome."

Overall, CS2C and Novell will jointly promote Linux products and also work together to localize products for the Chinese market.

The duo will deliver product and Linux technology training, provide technical support and services, and craft joint marketing and promotion strategies in the Chinese Linux community.

In announcing the deal, CS2C and Novell noted that the partnership has the potential to extend beyond China, as the two companies work to promote Linux acceptance globally.

With this new partnership, Novell is firmly confident that it will be able to increase its investment in China, as well as work with the government to the benefit of customers and partners, the company noted.

The deal with CS2C builds on Novell's already established interest in spreading Linux throughout China. In September, Novell joined the China Linux Standard Group, a team focusing on IT standards that garnered the blessing of the country's Ministry of Information Industry.

Novell certainly isn't the only Linux company looking to bring the open source operating system deeper into the Chinese market. Three months ago, Red Hat established its own Chinese operation, and IBM now has been particularly keen on offering Linux-focused services throughout Asia, and not just in China.

Some are now saying that HP is looking to expand in China as well. Will Dell follow suit if HP tests the waters in that country?

Overall, the expansion of Linux into Asia isn't surprising at all, said Yankee Group analyst Laura DiDio. "It's a huge market, but beyond that, Chinese are very open to Linux. In many ways, Linux falls in line with the culture in China."

Especially in China, some U.S.-based companies like Microsoft are viewed with caution, and inspire criticism about alleged monopolistic practices. But with its focus on open source development, Linux is seen as a less capitalism-driven option.

Source: Operating Systems Today.

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