Sun Bursts Through With New Product Blitz
Sun is set to unveil Java Enterprise System (JES) pricing of 33 cents to $3 per person to governments to provide network-based services to their citizens, depending on United Nations' designations of how developed a country is, said John Loiacono, executive vice president of software at the company.
Sun also plans to update the remote management capabilities of its Java Desktop System (JDS) Linux-based desktop OS and update JES next month with the latest enterprise version of Sun's Java app server, Loiacono said.
In addition, Sun plans to offer an identity management software bundle including technology from its December acquisition of Waveset Technologies, he said. The package includes Sun's Java System Directory Server; two former Waveset products,now rebranded Java System Identity Manager,for user provisioning and managing user identities in an IT system; and Java System Access Manager, which sets policies for user access to services in a system, Loiacono said.
Of all of Sun's software products, the Waveset technology is garnering the most significant interest from customers, said Tom Kuni, president of SSI hubcity, Metuchen, N.J. "Sun has really gotten its act together there," he said. "The Waveset provisioning software was one of the best procurements Sun has undertaken."
Also this week, Sun, Santa Clara, Calif., expects to release to early developers what Loiacono called an "almost infinite-scale" file system for its upcoming Solaris 10 operating system.
In hardware, Sun is planning to replace its Netra 1400 telecom server with the Netra 440, said Souheil Saliba, vice president of marketing and strategy for Sun's Volume Systems Products Group. The 440, with up to four UltraSPARC 3i processors in a 5U, NEBS level 3-certified enclosure, is about half the price of the 1400.
Sun also is set to unveil a new 3000-series entry-level storage array with Serial ATA hard drives and, eventually, NEBS 3 certification; the 6920 array with new data services offerings based on technology from Sun's 2002 acquisition of Pirus; and pay-as-you-need utility pricing for its 9900 enterprise array, said Chris Wood, director of technology sales and marketing for Sun storage.
Sun is finally shoring up its storage product line through acquisitions and OEM partners, said Stacy Gardner, vice president of engineering at Integrated Archive Systems, a solution provider in Palo Alto, Calif. "They're good products, but Sun needs to do a better job in getting to market at the same time as its competitors."