“VA Research Linux Systems (VA), the leading provider of Linux
systems and support, today announced that it has acquired Electric
Lichen L.L.C., a leading Linux marketing consulting company.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The announcement
comes on the heels of an announcement that Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) has
taken a minority stake in the company. VA also announced today the
addition of Brian Biles, a 10-year veteran of Sun Microsystems to
its executive team as vice president of marketing.”
“Perhaps best known for its efforts helping IBM, Informix, and
numerous Linux distribution vendors launch their Linux strategies,
Electric Lichen is well-regarded for having taken an active role in
advising the Linux community. The addition of Electric Lichen’s
professional services staff will enable VA’s customers to deploy
and optimize Linux in their environments.”
“In New York City, where the Linux community is blossoming, Jim
Gleason, the other co-founder of Electric Lichen commented, “We are
thrilled to be part of the VA organization. They’ve been designing
and building Linux systems since the 1.0 kernel was available and
their staff comprises some of the most intelligent and well-known
people in the Linux industry.” In addition to opening the New York
sales office for VA, Jim will continue in his capacity as president
of the New York Linux Users Group (www.nylug.org).”