May 12, 2000
The Novell Corporation opened the doors of its newest and most high-tech facility today. The company is calling it the "brain center."
Central Utah Correspondent Reed Cowan reports from Novell headquarters in Provo.
It's part of what Novell calls "Expansion 2000." It's an 8-story building known as the most wired building in Utah, with enough copper wire inside to stretch between Salt Lake City and Chicago.
Excitement is high for Novell employees who are getting ready to get to work inside the body of the company's global operation.
It's a body with an intricate nerve center on the inside--thousands of miles of wire connected, thinking and blinking, with a data center as a brain.
The l.i.n.k. room is the crown jewel of what Novell wants you to see. This is where computer problems in Asia and Europe show up and get fixed. All of it in the brain center of the l.i.n.k. room.
"We're watching our infrastructure from here, fixing problems from here."
High spirits for the Novell center come at a time when Novell leaders admit to "lower than expected" revenue.
But they say this addition will increase growth for a corporation now inseparably linked to the Utah economy.
"This shows our commitment to the Utah base as well. The commitment to Utah is huge."
A huge commitment and a new direction for a company attempting to plant its corporate flag in a millenium of new technology.
Many of Novell's employees say this building will also boost morale here.
Up until now they've been split up in more than one building. Now they say the entire team can play from the same playing field.
