Novell takes a shot at SMEs with VLAs

Novell has moved to attack the SME market with changes to its volume licensing agreements (VLAs).

Novell has moved to attack the SME market with changes to its volume licensing agreements (VLAs).

The changes, which come into full effect on 1 April, were implemented after a consultation period with VARs, customers and sales staff, according to Rob Furnival, UK channel sales manager at Novell.

In the UK, Novell has decided to reduce the points needed to qualify for the VLA scheme from 1,000 to 500. Furnival described the changes as an attempt to "lower the barrier of entry to attract more SMEs and allow VARs to push significantly more licensing business".

Furnival claimed that a 25-user licence for Novell's Small Business Suite should now be enough to allow SMEs to benefit from the VLA programme.

"We identified various wish lists and we found that a lot of small firms wanted the upgrade protection the VLA agreement provides. Partners also wanted to sell VLAs into a larger market," he said.

Phil Doye, managing director at Novell VAR Kelway Computer Supplies, said the modifications sounded like a "good idea for partners in the short term". But he suggested Novell could use the changes as a chance to gain greater access to more customer details for a direct push some time in the future.

"The reasons for the changes are probably twofold. On one hand VARs will be able to push the scheme more. But on the other, if Novell can get more customers details in under the VLA, they will eventually have the ability to serve those customers direct. Licensing schemes are a great way to build up a customer database," Doye said.