SANTA CLARA, Calif., September 27, 2004 - Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW), today announced that VeriSign, Inc. will deploy the Solaris Operating System (OS) on AMD(R) Opteron processor-based systems. VeriSign chose the Solaris OS for Opteron systems based on its proven track record of industrial-strength scalability, low total cost of ownership (TCO), rigorous security and broad platform support on Sun and third-party x86 hardware.

"VeriSign supports Sun's Solaris x86 OS, and their extension onto the AMD/Intel platform. Aside from the augmented levels of performance, Sun's Solaris platform enables VeriSign to extract great value from our intelligent infrastructure," said Ari Balogh, senior vice president of operations and infrastructure, VeriSign. "We plan to deploy Solaris on hundreds of Opteron servers in our data centers, where initial tests have already proven reliability and substantial reductions in TCO."

"The security and scalability of an OS remain key concerns for CIOs. Like Sun, VeriSign understands the importance of building security into your IT foundation from the start," said Glenn Weinberg, vice president of the operating platforms group, at Sun. "VeriSign's choice of the Solaris OS is an important endorsement that Sun not only delivers leading-edge functionality and value, but also the highest level of protection against external threats. We will further strengthen the OS with the debut of Solaris 10 later this year, including breakthrough security advances like N1 Grid Containers, process rights management and automated patch tools."

VeriSign will utilize the Solaris OS on Opteron systems to support the multiple technology functions that are delivered on VeriSign's Advanced Transaction Look-Up and Signaling (ATLAS(TM) infrastructure. ATLAS is the foundation for VeriSign's intelligent infrastructure and processes over 14 billion DNS interactions daily, more than three times the number of US-based phone calls daily. Built to support the .COM and .NET registries, ATLAS is the infrastructure by which VeriSign delivers a wide array of services, ranging from Managed Security Services to SMS Message routing to supporting the EPC Network built to enable the burgeoning RFID marketplace.

Solaris for x86 expands the #1 UNIX(R) operating system to x86 servers, including AMD Opteron and Intel Xeon-based systems, giving customers the freedom to choose the solution that best meets their business needs. Solaris for x86 systems is well suited for companies that are already invested in Solaris expertise and commercial Solaris applications, and want a predictable and secure release, an update process with an application compatibility guarantee - all while still leveraging standard x86-based system hardware. Beyond performance and value, Solaris for x86 boasts industry-leading security features, and is the only commercial operating system to be certified against the highest combination of assurance levels and protection profiles.

About Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision -- "The Network Is The Computer" -- has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW) to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that make the Net work. Sun can be found in more than 100 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://sun.com

Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, Solaris, N1, and The Network Is The Computer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

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