Novell’s made a joint announcement with VMware at the VMworld 2010 conference today in San Francisco,  delivering SUSE Linux Enterprise Server features to its wide array of clients.  Novell stopped by TheCUBE to make the announcement, which was streamed live at SiliconANGLE.tv.  This marks the first of several steps the companies will be taking in their expanded partnerships, first announced in June.

With the new server solutions, Novell and VMware strive to reduce IT complexity, accelerating customer’s journey towards a fully-virtualized datacenter.  To do so, the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for VMware focuses on its broad application support, boasting nearly 6,000 application certifications.  The partnership will bring the opportunity for both companies to give customers the ability to port SUSE Linux-based workloads across the cloud.

“This unique partnership gives VMware and Novell customers a simplified and lower-cost way to virtualize and manage their IT environments, from the data center to fully virtualized datacenters,” said Joe Wagner, senior vice president and general manager, Global Alliances, Novell. “SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for VMware(R) is the logical choice for VMware customers deploying and managing Linux within their enterprise. This agreement is also a strong validation of Novell’s strategy to lead in the intelligent workload management market.”

The SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for VMware will be extended as an option for Novell clients as well, and free of charge for existing VMware Sphere customers.  In addition, VMware is giving the option for technical support services for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for VMware, enabling a more seamless support experience.  This is a defining feature of VMware’s growing network of partners.

As talks heat up around “coop-atition” and potential acquisition targets, some analysts wonder if the developing partnership between VMware and Novell will evolve into something more.  At this point in the industry’s evolution, however, most companies are focusing on joint efforts to provide the best options for consumers.