Sun Microsystems Dot-Coms the Data Center
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Widely recognized as a driving force behind Internet innovation, Sun Microsystems, Inc. has unveiled its vision for the fast approaching networked data center, along with its new Sun datacenter.com initiative that includes more than a dozen new products, programs and services that will speed a customer's transition to this new model.

Sun's vision for the networked data center blends mainframe disciplines with the power of the Internet, enabling companies to deliver information virtually anywhere, anytime and capitalize on the new breed of networkenabled applications that better link businesses with customers, suppliers and partners.

Sun's growth within the data center is already booming on the strength of its server, storage and software technologies; the Sun datacenter.com initiative could result in a sizeable new business opportunity as companies hasten to incorporate the Internet as a central part of how they do business. For example, Sun announced an enhanced version of its high-end Sun Enterprise 10000 (a/k/a Starfire) server and revealed that it has shipped its 1,000th Starfire system to Chase Manhattan Bank - just eight months after Sun shipped its 500th Starfire system, attesting to the server's runaway success.

According to Barry Wilson, chief architect, Lexis Nexis, "Sun has brought the data center into the networked age with the Sun datacenter.com approach. They are providing us with the best of mainframe computing via their highly scalable Starfire server, and they're adding an Internet component that will allow us to provide better service to our customers."

Sun intends to wrest away the mantle from IBM in the data center by driving the architecture and technologies required in this Internetcentric age. Sun's vision for the networked data center combines prevailing data center disciplines - which result in high levels of predictability - with the universal accessibility and advantages offered by the new class of web-centric applications spawned by the Internet.

Genesys Program Unveiled

To help customers transition to the Sun datacenter.com model, Sun unveiled a comprehensive program - code-named Genesys - which delivers an integrated software, hardware and services platform that will allow customers to realize the increased flexibility and simplified management required by the networked data center, while also managing costs and delivering higher service levels to end users. Genesys also provides a methodology to help companies rapidly configure, implement, and manage the transition to a networked model.

In addition to a portfolio of enhanced hardware and software products, Sun introduced new enterprise-level services that give customers the high-levels of service and project design/implementation expertise required to dot-com their data center. For example, Sun's new Server Consolidation Services help customers assess, architect and implement consolidation projects to increase productivity and reduce operational costs. And a new Mainframe Affinity Center located in Menlo Park, Calif. helps customers test and validate mixed Sun and mainframe solutions.

According to Masood Jabbar, president of Sun Computer Systems, "Our growing strength in the data center coupled with Sun's well-established leadership in Internet technologies strongly positions us to deliver the highly flexible, yet predictable environment customers require for the inevitable networked data center."

Sun's announcement includes comprehensive offerings to help customers dot-com their data center. See separate press releases for additional details on:

Sun datacenter.com Programs:

• Mainframe Affinity Center and Program - located in Menlo Park, Calif., this new center tests and validates customer solutions that involve a mix of Sun and mainframe technology. It is part of a larger program, providing information and resources that help IS personnel leverage existing legacy mainframe environments, while being able to simultaneously manage emerging data center challenges and trends.
• Server Consolidation Services - leading experts assess, architect and implement server consolidation projects to increase a customer's productivity and reduce overall TCO.
• Data Center Installation, Implementation and Training - Sun's comprehensive program offering consulting, support and educational expertise for customers building high-performance, highly-available networked data centers.
• SunUP Availability Program - helps customers raise overall service levels for their mission-critical applications. Unlike other vendors who focus primarily on products to improve availability, the SunUP program addresses the complete customer environment - people, process and product issues.

Products:

• Enhanced Mid- and High-End Servers - Sun's line of mid- and high-end servers now scales from 400 mainframe MIPS for the Enterprise 3500 server all the way to 3,000 mainframe MIPS for the Starfire system, enabling Sun servers to lay claim to new world record performance benchmarks.
• Enterprise Software - the new Sun Cluster 2.2 solution gives customers mainframe-class reliability on a high-performance, web-enabled platform. It is part of a rich software portfolio that leverages the reliable Solaris Operating Environment and helps customers manage resources more efficiently. Other key software products include Solaris Resource Manager, Solaris Bandwidth Manager and Sun Enterprise SyMON.
• New High Capacity Tape Library and Fibre Channel Storage - the new Sun StorEdge L1100 tape library offers customers over 11 terabytes of native capacity, making it the ideal backup solution for massive file systems. Sun also announced its highest performance fibre channel array, the Sun StorEdge A5200, and a new high-capacity, low-cost fibre channel disk array, the Sun StorEdge A5100 Array.

New Worldwide Leasing Program:

• Sun Microsystems Finance, a new unit developed in alliance with GE Capital Vendor Financial Services provides customers and resellers worldwide with a full range of flexible financing solutions for Sun hardware, software and services as well as third-party non-Sun technology.

About Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision, "The Network Is The Computer," has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc., to its position as a leading provider of high quality hardware, software and services for establishing enterprise-wide intranets and expanding the power of the Internet. With more than $10.5 billion in annual revenues, Sun can be found in more than 150 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://www.sun.com.