SALT LAKE CITY – October 9, 2008 – Utah possesses strong resources that will be essential to the next era of high-tech industry growth, says Novell CEO Ron Hovsepian. As leader of a global company with more than 4,700 employees worldwide, Hovsepian noted that Utah’s strengths are critical to the next phase of high technology growth not only for Novell and for the Utah economy, but for the high-tech developments that are affecting the world overall. Hovsepian shared his remarks with leading Utah CEOs at the Utah Technology Council (UTC) Open Forum Discussion at Ballard Spahr’s Utah headquarters in Salt Lake City recently.

As a theme all growing technology companies can adhere to, Hovsepian said, “Scale matters.” From Novell’s own example, to the progress we can see in companies such as Microsoft, IBM, Oracle and HP, each company has identified and focused on its unique technological strengths and then learned to leverage partnerships and emerging distribution models in order to scale.

Hovsepian noted the growing importance of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) licensing and distribution models, and of collaboration agreements that allow multiple companies to work together to merge common and core computing functions into common data facilities in the concept known as “Cloud Computing.”

Hovsepian notes that he considers some of Utah’s strongest resources being as follows:

- Fantastic engineers that are innovative leaders
- A workforce with skills beyond technical ability – multilingual and overall education
- Good balance of the right type of workers with professionalism and values – they take pride in their work
- Low-cost data center facilities

He also noted the need for increased collaboration among regional stakeholders, and the continuing need for state and local government to act as enablers for technology growth. As a strong and positive example, he noted the NEDSS project for Utah—a partnership between Novell, the state of Utah and CSI to create the first open source infectious disease management system to meet a federal mandate. Together, these teams have produced TriSano™, a citizen-focused organization to provide surveillance and management of infectious disease. The resulting effort not only allows Utah to meet a federal requirement, but can be used by other states to meet their requirements as well. Working together, the regions and entities can meet their common needs. Each of these states and entities can use their dollars to focus on their unique strengths rather than having to invest in developing the core technologies again and again.

For more information about upcoming UTC industry initiatives and events to help grow Utah’s technology companies, readers can visit www.utahtechcouncil.org.

About Utah Technology Council

UTC exists to foster the growth of Utah’s 5,200 science and technology companies, attract a broader array of funding resources, and ensure Utah has the highest-quality skilled workforce. Members can connect and share insights with industry peers, government and academic leaders, professional service providers and venture capital firms. Visit www.utahtechcouncil.org or call 801.568-3500.

UTC PR Agency Contact:
Snapp Conner PR
Cheryl Snapp Conner
T) 801-994-9625
cheryl@snappconner.com