Linuxcare Takes the Lead in Linux Services with Funding, Expansions, Acquisitions, and Strategic Partnerships

In a bold move to establish Linux as the open standard for computer operating systems, Linuxcare Inc., a pioneering provider of Linux services to the Global 1000, announced an extensive series of initiatives on December 14, 1999. Fernand Sarrat, CEO and President of Linuxcare, shared the company's vision to free corporate customers from the constraints of closed operating-system vendors by offering comprehensive services for enterprise Linux environments.

Sarrat emphasized that Linuxcare's mission aims to provide international reach, deep Linux expertise, and a one-stop solution for all Linux technical services, enabling customers to regain control over their technology infrastructure. The following announcements underscored the company's commitment to this vision:

Financial Strength: Linuxcare completed a $32.5 million funding round from an esteemed group of investors and corporate partners, including Patricof & Co., Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, Sun Microsystems, Dell Computer Corporation, Oracle Corporation, and Motorola, Inc.

Expanded Services: Linuxcare's Professional Services Business Unit now offers nine new Global Centers of Expertise, drawing on a global network of Linux gurus to practice in areas such as parallel computing and clustering, application porting, device-driver development, and custom Linux distributions and applications.

Strategic Partnership: Dell Computer Corporation expanded its services agreement with Linuxcare, allowing for technical support options for Dell's Linux systems worldwide, along with certification from Linuxcare Labs and on-site training from Linuxcare University.

Acquisition: The Puffin Group, an Ottawa-based professional services firm under contract with Hewlett-Packard to port Linux to HP's UNIX servers, was acquired by Linuxcare. The Puffin Group's management and staff will join the Linuxcare Professional Services Business Unit.

Board Expansion: Three technology leaders - John L. Drew from Lucent Technologies, Paul Vais from Patricof & Co., and Ernest von Simson from the Research Board - were elected to Linuxcare's Board of Directors to help drive the company's vision forward.

Expert Recruitments: Linuxcare further strengthened its deep Linux expertise by making additional acquisitions and guru recruitments, including Paul Mackerras, creator of the Linux PowerPC port.

Innovative Technology Infrastructure: Linuxcare is partnering with infrastructure providers like Cisco Systems, Digital Island, The Adrenaline Group, and middleware vendor ObjectSwitch to build a global infrastructure for delivering breakthrough Linux services over the World Wide Web.

Enterprise Customer Support: A recent study by Miller Freeman revealed that 66% of IT managers and CIOs desire a single source for their Linux service, support, and training needs, as well as access to top Linux talent worldwide. Linuxcare has responded by expanding its technical support options and offering key Linux-based enterprise software solutions from industry leaders like Sun, IBM, Oracle, Informix, Sybase, and VMWare.

International Offices: With 74% of Miller Freeman respondents seeking access to top Linux talent anywhere in the world, Linuxcare has established new offices in London, Tokyo, Ottawa, Padua (Italy), and will open offices in Germany and France in Q1 2000.

Linuxcare's vision is gaining momentum as Open Source software becomes the dominant platform for Internet infrastructure, with over 57% of all Web servers running Apache and nearly 60% of those atop Linux. Linuxcare has bolstered its efforts as an Internet infrastructure provider by supporting key Open Source software like Apache, Sendmail, Samba, and others that provide connectivity services to ISPs and corporate environments.

About Linuxcare: Founded in 1998, Linuxcare is the leading provider of customer services for enterprise Linux environments, offering technical support, professional services, education, and product certification. The company supports all major distributions of Linux and leading Linux-based enterprise solutions on all major hardware platforms. With funding from Kleiner Perkins, Patricof & Co., and others, Linuxcare counts Dell Computer, IBM, and Sun Microsystems among its strategic partners. The company can be reached at +01-415-354-4878 or jpinfo@linuxcare.com for Japanese information.