Solution providers can now offer small and medium businesses a choice - bringing the security, power, flexibility and cost-savings of Linux - with the U.K. launch of Collax server solutions. Interactive Ideas will handle Collax product aggregation and distribution while working together with Collax to generate leads and create new sales opportunities for channel partners.

Due to an easy-to-use, intuitive graphical interface, no Linux know-how is required for running the Collax server solutions. The company's flagship software product, the Collax Business Server, delivers a suite of open source applications for security, networking, and communication to run a small or growing business. The Collax Security Gateway is an open source-based Unified-Threat-Management solution and the Collax Open-Xchange Server is a groupware solution. All products are available either as software only or a plug-and-play appliance.

"We are excited to be working with Collax, their turnkey solutions for SMBs are exactly what the channel needs to speed the adoption of Linux in this market," commented Mike Trup, Interactive Ideas Managing Director. "There is huge demand from SMBs to learn about the benefits of Linux to their business, but up until now there hasn't been a complete, out of box solution that is required for large scale adoption."

"According to IDC, the Linux server market is growing at 23 percent - and is expected to reach a volume of $11 billion in 2008*. The adoption of simple, low cost, easy-to-use open source solutions will add to this expansion and Collax, as an alternative to Microsoft, is at the forefront," says Olaf Jacobi, chief executive officer, Collax. "A strong channel is key to our success and we are happy to have Interactive Ideas as our first UK distributor."