German City switches to Linux

               German City Goes Entirely Linux

Schwäbisch Hall builds IT infrastructure based on SuSE Linux 
                       and IBM Servers

Nuremberg, Germany, December 17, 2002 - The German city of 
Schwäbisch Hall (population 36,000) will build its IT 
infrastructure entirely on SuSE Linux - replacing a more 
costly Windows installation.

The town will deploy SuSE Linux on IBM Intel-based servers 
as well as up to 400 PCs - saving the city an estimated 
amount of more than one hundred thousand Euro over the 
Windows installation.

"My decision for Linux is based on three factors," said 
Hermann-Josef Pelgrim, Mayor of Schwäbisch Hall, 
Baden-Württemberg, Germany. "First, I expect a considerable 
reduction of our IT expenses due to lower software license 
fees. This will contribute to the consolidation of our 
municipal budget. Second, based on Linux's excellent grades 
from the experts on security, our IT structure will become 
more secure. Third, the choice of open standards ensures 
interoperability among different technical offerings."

"Schwäbisch Hall's decision reflects the strongly growing 
acceptance of Linux in enterprises and governments around 
the world," said Boris Nalbach, CTO of SuSE Linux AG. "With 
the lower software licensing fees - as well as the lower 
administrative costs associated with Linux, the town will be 
able to provide the most cost effective civil services to 
its citizens."

Initially, the project includes the migration from Windows 
and Microsoft Office to the SuSE Linux Enterprise Client and 
OpenOffice.org for 120 client PCs, which will increase up to 
400 client PCs in the final stage. On the server side, SuSE 
Linux Enterprise Server will be deployed on IBM's eServer 
xSeries systems.

The overall project is accompanied by an innovative 
financing package that enables the Municipality to 
accommodate customized extensions.

*** About SuSE Linux

SuSE Linux is one of the world's leading providers of 
products and services, based on Linux operating system. In 
addition to the operating system and application software 
for private customers, SuSE offers software solutions and 
complete systems for the use of Linux in the enterprise. 
SuSE supports enterprise customers with a comprehensive 
range of qualified consulting, training, and support 
services. Hosting the world's largest development team for 
Open Source solutions, SuSE Linux shares its unique project 
and support information online, in the largest existing 
Linux knowledge database. Further information on SuSE Linux 
can be found at http://www.suse.de/en/

Press contact:
SuSE Linux AG
Martina Krahmer
Deutschherrnstr. 15-19
90429 Nuremberg
Germany
martina.krahmer@suse.de
Phone: +49-(0)911-74053507