Novell added to GSA's SmartBuy program

Novell Inc. has become the third company signed on to the General Services Administration's SmartBuy program.

Agencies now can purchase networking infrastructure software from Novell under the enterprise software license program. GSA had been negotiating with Novell since January.

Novell created a series of special software offerings and service levels, including bundles for infrastructure, Linux servers and desktops, Web services and, eventually, secure identity management, company officials said in a news release.

Novell said the bundles will provide deployment and pricing flexibility for federal buyers as well as easing the contract negotiation and licensing process.

The infrastructure bundle will include core platform services, collaboration and management tools. Novell also will offer three Linux bundles?for the desktop, a "starter pack" for servers for small IT environments and a larger server application for larger networking environments.

The Web services package will provide software for agencies to connect legacy applications, Novell officials said.

Novell will test its secure identity management software bundle in GSA's E-Authentication lab in the next few months before selling it to agencies.