SCO creates new product division to strengthen cross-platform offerings; new IXI Visionware division will produce advanced software for integrating Windows clients with all major UNIX servers

Business Wire, Feb 28, 1995

SANTA CRUZ, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 28, 1995--(NASDAQ: SCOC) SCO, the leading supplier of business critical UNIX server and host systems, Tuesday announced that it has integrated the product teams of its subsidiaries, IXI and Visionware, into a new SCO product division.

The new division, headed by SCO senior vice president and general manager Ray Anderson, will develop advanced software that integrates Windows clients with all major UNIX servers. It will operate in parallel with SCO's Server division. This move follows the integration of the IXI and Visionware sales and marketing teams, reporting into SCO's geographical business units, announced earlier this month.

Lars Turndal, SCO chairman and CEO, said: "Our customers face a major challenge today. Their business critical information is on UNIX servers and UNIX System databases, but they want to access that information from Windows clients. We're going to integrate those two worlds, while preserving our customers' freedom to choose the type of client, server, and application they want.

"This new product division will enable SCO to expand into new markets and reach new customers, while increasing the benefits we offer our customers today. It is the next major step in fulfilling our vision, which is to give our customers access to the information you need, where and how you need it."

Alok Mohan, SCO president and chief operating officer, said, "This new product division will enable SCO to expand beyond our traditional server market to provide middleware that integrates Windows clients and UNIX servers. SCO intends to define the standard architecture and interfaces for achieving this, which will give us the opportunity to provide greater value to our current customer base, as well as to other users of UNIX servers."

Mohan added that, "By also integrating the IXI and Visionware sales and marketing teams into our geographical business units, as we announced earlier this month, SCO provides our customers and channel partners with a greater range of cross-platform solutions and services.

"The addition of the proven IXI and Visionware channels further strengthens SCO's already industry-renowned global distribution infrastructure. We now also have a working model for swiftly integrating new products and acquisitions in the future, in order to take advantage of new market opportunities."

Ray Anderson, who heads the new product division, was formerly president of IXI. The Server division is headed by Scott McGregor, senior vice president of Server Products. In addition to these two product divisions, SCO maintains two geographical business units: the Americas unit, headed by Ed Adams, senior vice president and general manager; and the Europe and International unit, headed by Bernard Hulme, senior vice president and managing director.

Scott McGregor also heads SCO's joint venture in Japan with Tomen. These organizations will provide product sales and service support to the geographical territories.

Businesses and governments worldwide use SCO Business Critical Servers to run their critical operations, accessing and distributing information across local and global boundaries and networks. SCO's mission is to continue leading the growth of this important new market by delivering the most robust system software for Business Critical Servers. SCO is recognized worldwide as the leading supplier of UNIX server and host systems (source: IDC).

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Note to Editors: SCO, The Santa Cruz Operation, SCO Open Server, Visionware, IXI, and the SCO logo, are trademarks or registered trademarks of The Santa Cruz Operation Inc. in the USA and other countries.

UNIX is a registered trademark in the US and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company Limited. All other brand or product names are or may be trademarks of, and are used to identify products or services of, their respective owners.

CONTACT: The Santa Cruz Operation Inc.

Barbara LoFranco, 408/427-7157

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Sandy Deogracias, 408/453-9194