NetWare 5 sales see Novell earnings rocket

Novell saw second quarter profits double thanks to soaring sales of NetWare 5. The network software vendor posted net income at $38.7 million for the quarter ended 30 April, up from $19.3 million the previous year. Sales grew 20 per cent to $315.7 million from $262.3 million. Improved business conditions in Asia-Pacific saw revenues soar 23 per cent to $26 million. Turnover in Europe, the Middle East and Africa rose 35 per cent to $105 million, and was especially strong in the UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands. The number two maker of network-management software said US sales increased 13 per cent to $169 million. "It was really pleasing to see that our international business is running quite a bit faster than the US," said Dennis Raney, Novell chief financial officer. "Novell is on its way to becoming a growth company again," said Eric Schmidt, Novell chairman and CEO. "We had planned for growth, but the market's response to NetWare 5 has exceeded our plans. "Novell has never had a stronger new product." Novell was also benefiting from new Web standards-based products and partnerships, that had led to higher performance levels in the California company’s business, said Schmidt. ®