Feature Story
|
A New Era of Network ServicesBy Jonathan Schwartz 1.Jun.04--There's never been a more exciting time to be in business. Everyone and everything is connecting to the network and fulfilling Sun Microsystems' 20-year vision of network computing. It's a big network out there and it's getting bigger every day. Every device imaginable is getting connected--from cell phones to cars to items of clothing. The growth of the network is creating surprising opportunities--the $2 billion ringtone market, the $3 billion mobile game market, and the $80 billion mobile data services market, to name a few. And we're just getting started. The network is all around us--we're in touch with it more and more each day. In the near future, the network will surround us in ways we never imagined. We have begun to rely on the network as a commodity and we expect to pay less for it. The network enables us to purchase goods and services in new ways and interact with different communities. The network creates opportunity, markets, competition, innovation, value, and new business models. Call it the Network Economy.
In today's Network Economy, carriers give phones away for free when you sign up for one of their calling plans. One day, automobile manufacturers will give cars away for free for a monthly entertainment or navigation service. Why are leading companies following this business model? Because when customers become invested in the companies they buy from, everyone wins. Today we are seeing the Network Economy extending its reach into the data center where customers can become subscribers of systems and enjoy infinite usage rights and always-on, always-secure capabilities. At the SunNetwork Conference and NC04Q2 we are announcing new technology solutions that expand the subscription model even further. Learn all about them by listening to the SunNetwork Conference keynotes. We're proud to announce that we'll be helping developing countries join the network by offering a unique pricing model for Java Enterprise System that starts at 33 cents per citizen, per year. Without the burden of expensive licenses, several good things happen. National, regional, and local governments of these countries can use Sun software to network their economies and populations. The benefits will satisfy several basic human needs, including providing education and healthcare to citizens, and help bridge the digital divide. We are also offering subscriptions in several other areas. Customers will enjoy inifinite access to data when they need it on pay-for-use basis with Sun Utility Computing for StorEdge Systems. Built around the Sun StorEdge 9980 array, this solution offers the huge performance and scalability you expect from Sun, but you pay only for capacity when you need it--at an attractive, predictable price. The new Sun Preventive Services is another breakthrough. This integrated portfolio of capabilities helps you identify and head off system risks before they affect your business. For a single subscription, customers get more than 100 services that can systematically reduce costs and increase service levels. Developers can get in on the act too. The Java Enterprise Developer Promotion offers Sun Developer Network program members a three-year subscription bundle for one low price that combines Sun's premier Java and Solaris tools with our latest, entry-level Opteron-based server. Sun is driving the Network Economy by delivering a secure and scalable foundation for the development and deployment of network services. Our latest enhancements to that foundation include new technologies for Solaris 10 Operating System (OS), the second release of the Java Enterprise System, a new portfolio of Identity Management products, as well as the second release of the industry's alternative desktop, the Java Desktop System. Solaris OS is the world's most popular enterprise UNIX operating system and runs virtually all of the major enterprise applications available today. Dynamic File System, the fourth breakthrough Solaris technology introduced this year through the Software Express program, is the industry's only self-healing, self-managing OS file system technology that provides 16 billion billion times more capacity than current file systems for virtually unlimited scalability. The Java Enterprise System enables enterprises to replace costly, unpredictable middleware components with a high-performance software system available on a predictable release schedule and affordable subscription basis. New features in the latest release include support for Linux, the inclusion of the Java System Application Server Enterprise Edition 7 2004Q2 which provides a scalable and reliable Web services platform, and support for Solaris OS on both SPARC and x86 based systems. With our latest N1 innovations, we've made it easier for companies to deploy and manage enterprise grids and resources to deliver network services. Our ready-to-deploy grid computing solutions leverage the Sun Fire V20z Compute Grid rack system, which can improve resource utilization by up to 90 percent, reduce system deployment time from days to hours, and install operating systems on 32 nodes in less than an hour. To get more information on all the latest innovations from Sun that are enabling a new era of network services, visit the NC04Q2 site. So join the community today and let's all step forward together. Jonathan I. Schwartz is president and chief operating officer for Sun Microsystems, Inc. | |||||||||
 | | |||||||||
