Announcing a new era for secure desktop economics, Sun Microsystems is to provide an open 100-user desktop solution, to eliminate the expense of traditional desktops while significantly bolstering security and authentication.
This new client solution includes hardware, Java Card technology, a complete, open software environment as well as a server for identity, portal and messaging capabilities.
In addition, Sun provides access to holistic support through Sun's Enterprise Services, for the solution. In other words, Sun offers technical support for the entire desktop solution, from the operating system (OS), through key application software, to the hardware for the open 100-user desktop system.
"We've been advocating the move to browser-based applications for the past six years - we believe companies are now ready to take the next step," says Dumisani Mtoba, senior systems engineer at Sun Microsystems SA.
"The power, security and economics that customers have long enjoyed through Sun's end-to-end architecture are finally coming to the PC desktop."
Sun will initially focus the client solution on users in cost and security sensitive areas such as call centres, retail banks, and classrooms. In these environments, PCs and their applications are generally under-utilised and yet costly to administer.
Significantly, this solution features exceptional security with the use of Java Card technology for system access and authentication. As an open and proven technology, Java Card solutions are currently deployed globally in financial services, government and telecommunications organisations.
Viruses and the subsequent costs incurred are also effectively countered by the Sun offering.
The client solution brings together several open source efforts, namely Linux, Mozilla, OpenOffice, Evolution and GNOME.
Explains Mtoba: "This gives desktop users a familiar desktop environment and the ability to interoperate with Microsoft Office documents, presentations and spreadsheet formats."
In addition, Evolution provides users with a Microsoft Outlook-like client, which interoperates with Microsoft Exchange, while Sun also provides the fully supported StarOffice, the world's most popular open office productivity suite.
This system approach to the network client marks another milestone in Sun's edge computing strategy and builds on the company's Linux (LX50) momentum.
The LX50 is the first general-purpose 32-bit x86 server to feature enterprise-ready Linux, based on the standard 2.4 Linux kernel.
The total system solution will be released in 2003, with prototype systems available soon at Sun's worldwide iForce centres.
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