With Windows and Linux interoperability as the core aspect of the Microsoft-Novell deal, customers cannot be more content. At least this is the case illustrated by a Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates Inc., jointly commissioned by Microsoft and Novell.

According to the data from the Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates survey, 95% of the interviewed customers approved the Microsoft-Novell collaboration. 87% of the respondents are ready to welcome the benefits of additional collaborations between Linux distributors and Microsoft. 67% of participations declared that the Microsoft-Novell deal increased their consideration for SUSE Linux.

97% of customers emphasized the need for increased interoperability between platforms and for tools that would enable navigation of both Linux and Windows environments. 89% of the 201 customers interviewed want to see an increase in responsibility on behalf of technology companies and the intellectual property for the shipped products.

"Microsoft and Novell entered into this agreement to make it easier for customers to deploy Windows Server and Linux together," said Susan Heystee, vice president of Global Strategic Alliances at Novell. "The results of this independent research show the majority of approval numbers over 80 and 90 percent. These high numbers don't surprise me because they match the very positive reception that we've gotten from customers. This survey supports our belief when we entered the agreement with Microsoft: Collaboration on behalf of the customer is a winning proposition for all parties involved."

"This survey confirms for us what we've been hearing from customers all along. They want technology vendors to work together to promote interoperability and to stand behind the products they sell and service," said Susan Hauser, general manager of customer advocacy at Microsoft. "Customers who have mixed-source environments want their platform providers to work better together to tackle the complexity and cost of integration. Through our work with Novell, we're doing just that."