Likewise Enterprise Offered as Part of SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 from Novell

Novell’s SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 (SLE 11) allows companies to run applications built with Microsoft's (News - Alert) .Net platform to work on Linux without recompiling them. Now to enable easy and secure connectivity between desktop computers running SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 with Microsoft Active Directory, Likewise has stated that its Enterprise software will be shipped as part of SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11.

 

The platform provides identity management solutions that improve security, enhance operational efficiency, and help achieve regulatory compliance in mixed networks. Likewise Enterprise addresses the authentication, auditing, and reporting needs of companies running multiple operating systems in their network.

 

SLE 11 desktop can also play Windows multimedia-formatted files and bundles the Novell (News - Alert) version of OpenOffice.org, which supports the latest Microsoft Office 2007 Open XML document formats. SLE 11 also includes a number of back-end improvements that make it more manageable both as a physical and virtual operating system by Windows system administrators.

 

Now with Likewise Enterprise integrated to it SLE 11 it will be easier for SUSE based computers connected to the Active Directory to authenticate users, control access to applications and data, centrally manage settings with group policies and create reports for regulatory audits.

 

Company officials acknowledge Novell’s innovation in bringing out newer Linux desktops with SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop and with them as a natural ally Likewise hopes to accelerate its tally of Linux products as well. The company says it clearly understands the widespread demand to offer better integration into Active Directory environments.

 

The group policies in Likewise Enterprise let system administrators manage the security settings of SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop computers and users from a central system. Likewise software also comes along with GNOME group policies to control SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop user and computer settings. These group policies are based GNOME GConf project to define preferences like the default web browser or when to lock down a desktop.

 

Guy Lunardi, director for Client Preloads at Novell has said that Likewise helped them to cater to the customer demands and also satisfies to the need for an advanced Active Directory integration that also supports AD security settings and group policy. Novell claims that SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 is the most interoperable Linux desktop in the industry and in combination with Likewise Enterprise offers a highly-scalable enterprise solution for large Linux desktop deployments.

 

Under the terms of the agreement between Likewise and Novell, all Novell customers who buy SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 will get Likewise Enterprise, and it will be part of the SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop software repositories.

 

Novell recently had made its open source server to meet Federal IP standards while Likewise Open was integrated with Citrix XenServer.