Free and Open Source Software

Benefits for Enterprises

Open source and community development are fostering interoperability, which will bring about the next wave of technology value: grid and utility computing.

Cutting Edge Innovation

In the beginning, many saw open source as a way to save money. But increasingly, CIOs are turning to commercial suppliers that act as intermediaries with open source communities.

For good reason. By combining the efforts of the broadest possible community with the assurance of a commercial supplier, innovation can leap ahead, turning IT into a competitive advantage.

Get the Benefits At No Cost Up Front

Sun recently announced the no cost development and deployment offering that includes: Sun Java Enterprise System, N1 system management, Studio development tools, SunRay server software, and Sun Secure Global Desktop—optimized for the Solaris OS and available on Windows, Red Hat Linux, and HP-UX.

High Quality and Value

How? Simple: the base technology is shared, barriers to entry are low, and vendors must compete like crazy to innovate on top of a common base—giving you an unprecedented opportunity to keep your options open and choose from a variety of interoperable vendor solutions.

No Lock-in Means Your Investment Is Safe.

Interoperable, open source products built on standards mean you can choose a vendor. How much and what kind of support you need. Fix problems and tailor technology to your specific requirements.

If your vendor doesn't supply what you need, substitute another vendor's products or leverage the open source code base itself. This dramatically lowers your risk. And when software is based on standards, it can run on standardized infrastructures—a prerequisite for buying computing as a service.

More Certainty About Your Rights to Use a Product

Avoid the risks inherent in community-delivered support by contracting for enterprise-class support services from a trusted vendor. Eliminate uncertain timeframes and roadmaps for development through commercial distributions of open source software, like OpenSolaris, that have gone through rigorous testing and certification.