SCO, Partners to Create Unix White-Box Servers

While best known in recent years for its Unix/Linux litigation, The SCO Group Inc. has continued to invest in its Unix operating systems and its reseller channel. These new partnerships mark the first time in several years that SCO has launched a white-box program.

SCO recently signed a deal making Synnex Corp. the second of two major distributors of SCO software. The other is Tech Data Corp.

DTR Business Systems Inc., a value-added distributor and Terian Solutions LLC, an Intel white-box vendor, have long been SCO partners.

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Each server will be preloaded and preconfigured with either SCO Open Server or UnixWare. In addition, SCO's e-mail package, SCOoffice Server 4.1 for E-mail and Collaboration, will be available.

When SCO's next-generation OpenServer operating system, Legend, is released in June, that operating system also will be offered on these white boxes.

This deal and the agreement with Synnex seem to indicate that SCO is moving away from focusing on its Linux/Unix and IBM contract lawsuits and back toward its Unix reseller business.

To make it easy for a SCO Registered, Authorized or Premier reseller to create customized, white-box solutions, SCO—in partnership with DTR and Terian—has created a SCO-partner-only Web site. Specific details can be found by clicking on the "Buy Preconfigured Hardware" link.

At this site, resellers can request specific configurations based on their customers' software and hardware needs. The white box can be built and shipped directly to customers.

"Working with SCO and DTR, resellers will have a greater capability to deliver a higher standard of customer service with reliable SCO UNIX systems," said Rene Beltran, executive vice president at DTR.

"Terian resellers will appreciate the ease of customizing and ordering these reliable servers and appliances, while customers will like the quick delivery and reliability of these solutions that SCO and Terian have created for them," said Mike Colsante, chief operating officer at Terian.

The companies are packaging the systems with a range of service offerings. These will be delivered by SCO's Global Support team to suit the customer's business requirements.

Available support options include incident-based support, such as five- and 10-call packs, as well as an unlimited number of inquiries when purchased on a per-server basis (as many as five servers).

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