Zenworks confusion

Non-Technical Threads Chatting over the Back Fence
1

OK, I don’t keep up with the news, and I don’t recognize most of the names here
now, but …

I’m darned confused about the state of Zenworks & Attachmate.

On the one hand, we have
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/novell-increases-investment-in-zenworks-portfolio-242738821.html
which says that the investment in the Zenworks portfolio is being enhanced
etc. etc.

On the other hand, one of the guys who has been on the Zenworks forums for some
years has stated that he was laid off as of last Friday.

Anyone know how these two go together? Has Attachmate done a round of layoffs
that includes Zenworks folks-in-the-know? Or is it just some very limited
subset, certain types of positions? Who, what, where, why, when, how? (That’s
the famous “six w’s” for you kids.)

I’ve done a limited search and don’t find any mention of layoffs related to
Zenworks, just the above article which seems to say the opposite.

Thanks if anyone knows anything about this, even a clue, please!

– DE

2

I can say on a personal level, I will miss Shaun greatly as a colleague
at Novell. He was responsible for helping me to change from just a
Sysop to an Employee and now our roles are reversed.

Due to the fact that Novell is now part of Attachmate, which is a
private company, I cannot disclose any details of the changes that took
place.

However, I can honestly say that the recent changes did not raise any
concerns in my mind over the future success of ZCM or any particular
Novell products. I still believe things are going quite well.

I have also been a Sysop for a long-time and also try to be as honest as
possible. If I did not believe what I wrote, I would have simply said
nothing. I do my best to be as honest and forthright.

I know that everyone in Novell is beyond excited about ZCM 11.3, which
has so many new long sought features that it will be like Christmas
morning to many.

On 2/17/2014 10:22 AM, DE wrote:[color=blue]

OK, I don’t keep up with the news, and I don’t recognize most of the
names here now, but …

I’m darned confused about the state of Zenworks & Attachmate.

On the one hand, we have
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/novell-increases-investment-in-zenworks-portfolio-242738821.html
which says that the investment in the Zenworks portfolio is being
enhanced etc. etc.

On the other hand, one of the guys who has been on the Zenworks forums
for some years has stated that he was laid off as of last Friday.

Anyone know how these two go together? Has Attachmate done a round of
layoffs that includes Zenworks folks-in-the-know? Or is it just some
very limited subset, certain types of positions? Who, what, where, why,
when, how? (That’s the famous “six w’s” for you kids.)

I’ve done a limited search and don’t find any mention of layoffs related
to Zenworks, just the above article which seems to say the opposite.

Thanks if anyone knows anything about this, even a clue, please!

– DE[/color]

–
Craig Wilson - MCNE, MCSE, CCNA
Novell Technical Support Engineer

Novell does not officially monitor these forums.

Suggestions/Opinions/Statements made by me are solely my own.
These thoughts may not be shared by either Novell or any rational human.

3

De,[color=blue]

On the other hand, one of the guys who has been on the Zenworks forums for some
years has stated that he was laid off as of last Friday.[/color]

Yes and I personally think that it was a stupid move on Novell’s part, but I do
not see it as a lack of commitment to Zenworks, rather as a failure to see Shaun’s
unique contribution.

Without knowing every detail, I simply think that managers were told to let x
number of people go.

–
Anders Gustafsson (NKP)
The Aaland Islands (N60 E20)

Have an idea for a product enhancement? Please visit:
http://www.novell.com/rms

4

Anders Gustafsson wrote:[color=blue]

De,[color=green]

On the other hand, one of the guys who has been on the Zenworks forums for some
years has stated that he was laid off as of last Friday.[/color]

Yes and I personally think that it was a stupid move on Novell’s part, but I do
not see it as a lack of commitment to Zenworks, rather as a failure to see Shaun’s
unique contribution.

Without knowing every detail, I simply think that managers were told to let x
number of people go.
[/color]
Thanks for the response from you & Craig. I take your comments as indicating
that there were other related layoffs. I’ve been around for an inordinately
long time (a dear friend was an early forum Sysop and I go back to the
WordPerfect BBS days) but very on-again-off-again, so I’m really out of the
loop. But over the years, it becomes easy to see who knows what they’re
talking about & who doesn’t. Shaun has been terrifically helpful and
proactive, and I’m bugged at his departure.

I think that Craig’s comments about 11.3 are very heartening. Where I’m
currently working, I have to repeatedly say that I am a true fan of Zenworks,
because the users are so unhappy about the implementation & I have to explain
that it’s not Zenworks’ fault that the design is so user-unfriendly, rather
it’s the result of one person’s skewed vision of how to implement a product
that can be used completely differently. But there is now a push to look at
alternate products, and I’m hoping that I will get a voice in the discussion,
and that I can get people excited about Zenworks and all it can do.

Frankly, I think that the biggest problem with Zenworks being successful has to
do with the way it always has seemed that Novell management didn’t like their
own products. I’m hoping that Attachmate’s involvement will take away the
negative response that many people seem to have to the name alone. After
Novell all but destroyed WordPerfect’s place in the market, and forced many
Netware-reliant companies into Windows by not offering an easy upgrade path
when Netware was, er, terminated … well, if the company mgmt doesn’t believe
in their own stuff & make it easy to stay with them, the customers aren’t going
to do the extra work as a rule.

I mean, at my current company, I can’t even get people to =consider= Filr,
which is really sad since it’s ideal for their needs.

I will be looking forward to pitching Zenworks 11.3, and hope I can stir up a
positive response. I’d love to see a white paper that compares 11.3 with the
latest MS SCCM, as well as other company’s competing products for
packaging/deploying/inventorying/etc., because SCCM is the default direction
that many customers want to go, even though it just doesn’t offer the ease of
use and complete functionality that Zenworks has.

– DE

5

because SCCM is the default[color=blue]
direction that many customers want to go, even though it just doesn’t
offer the ease of use and complete functionality that Zenworks has.[/color]

Different product, same comparison MAD vs NDS/eDir/(insert latest branding).
We know where that one ended up. Sorry to hear about Shaun. I agree, top
drawer talent. Par for the course though.

6

GofBorg,

I’m not dead, you know… :0

–

Shaun Pond
newly reminted as a Knowledge Professional

7

GofBorg,[color=blue]

I’m not dead, you know… :0[/color]

Ah well, I was going to say you would do fine wherever you ended up. :slight_smile:

8

GofBorg,

https://www.engl.co.uk/

–

Shaun Pond
newly reminted as a Knowledge Professional

9

On 26/03/2014 18:37, Shaun Pond wrote:[color=blue]

GofBorg,

https://www.engl.co.uk/
[/color]

These guys are a great bunch.

I dealt with them quite a bit when I lived in the UK.

Lance

10

Lance,

and I am pleased and proud to be working for them

–

Shaun Pond
newly reminted as a Knowledge Professional

11

On 27/03/2014 15:16, Shaun Pond wrote:[color=blue]

Lance,

and I am pleased and proud to be working for them
[/color]

I wish they had space for me :slight_smile:

Lance