Johannesburg, 10 Dec 2004
Why has Sun Microsystems suddenly embraced a variety of platforms, some of which are direct competitors to its own range of products?
The reason is as simple as it is far-reaching, says Dumisani Mtoba, senior systems engineer, Sun Microsystems SA. "Sun Microsystems has a strategy that is driven by choice. It is our goal to provide customers with the widest range of platforms and options to support their business operations. Which ever platform the client deems to be most appropriate, Sun wants to be a partner that assists and supports the customer's right to choice."
As such, explains Mtoba, Sun has embraced Linux, which is emerging as a strong competitor both in the back-office as well as - increasingly - on the desktop.
"Sun's Linux strategy is to support the two most popular Linux releases - those provided by SuSe and Red Hat. Within this, we provide a full range of hardware platforms, which once again allows the customer to choose their hardware platform from Sun SPARC-, Intel-, or AMD-processor-based systems. With reseller agreements in place with SuSe and Red Hat, Sun provides support for both the Linux operating systems from these vendors," says Mtoba.
Sun has also ported the Java Enterprise System, its entire portfolio of middleware to the Linux platform. Mtoba explains that the operating system forms an integral part of its N1 Grid strategy. "Creating a grid computing environment requires the inclusion of all popular computing resources to create a system where resources are shared across hardware and software. With the growing number of Linux-based machines in the typical enterprise, Sun has ensured the operating system can and is included in the N1 grid strategy.
Further to these initiatives, Sun has based its Java Desktop System - JDS - on Linux code. "JDS delivers an open source, highly affordable and fully integrated desktop client environment with administration and developer tools and an enterprise-ready support offering - and it is based on Linux technology, further indicative of Sun's commitment to the technology," Mtoba notes.
In addition, Sun has leveraged its skills development and training to provide training on Linux.
"There is a perception in the market that Linux is cheap. Sun does not agree with that sentiment. We believe customers opt for a Linux strategy for reasons that go beyond initial cost of ownership. We are therefore able to provide the hardware, support and services to ensure Linux can add value to their enterprise," Mtoba concludes.
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