Sun subscription model to offer free server
Sun subscription model to offer free server
The move towards the commoditisation of the enterprise hardware market has taken another step forward with the news that enterprise and government customers of Sun Microsystems will soon be getting servers free of charge if they sign up for Sun's new subscription model.
This was one of a series of announcements made by the company at its SunNetwork conference, which opened in Shanghai this morning.
The event is the first of its kind to be staged in Asia, and around 5,000 delegates from across the region filed into the main conference hall to hear Sun's recently appointed president and COO, Jonathan Schwartz, and his replacement as executive vp of software, John Loiacono unveil the company's wide-ranging plans for the months ahead, both in Asia and globally.
Schwartz highlighted the significance of the company's first Asian SunNetwork event being staged in Shanghai, pointing to the rapid growth of the city's infrastructure mirroring that of the booming IT market in China as a whole at present, with the vast and rapidly developing country expected to provide between 10 and 15 percent of the global growth in IT in the next 12 months.
"I have visited this country on a number of occasions, most recently a couple of months ago, and the electricity is tangible, with the opportunities for expansion everywhere."
Speaking about the company's new subscription-based offering for company networks, Schwartz said: "Customers that subscibe to our software suite for a period of three years will be given a free server, so rather than having to buy the products, all they have to do is subscribe to the system as a whole. This will be more cost-effective than buying or leasing, and will reduce complexity, as installation, management and maintenance will all be taken care of."
Schwartz added that it was essential to examine the delivery models of technology, as well as improving the technology itself, if growth is to be achieved at an acceptable rate.
The floor was then opened up to John Loiacono, executive vice president of Sun's software group, who unveiled the company's new desktop application management and identity management software, as well as highlighting its RFID software technology.
Speaking about its desktop management software, Loiacono commented: "This software allows IT managers to put different policies in place for different departments within an organisation. For example, a different set of rules governing web browsin can be applied to the HR department to that of the engineering department, and so on. What this means is that restrictions can be imposed on no-work related sites, so employees will no longer to be able to do their shopping online or find out the latest sports results during working hours, thus imporving productivity."
Loiacono said that Sun had been working closely with US retail giant Wal-Mart on its mammoth RFID project rollout, and demonstrated how the technology could be utilised across a number of industries, including the pharmaceuticals industry.
Sun estimates that the growth of RFID technology will contribute to the amount of devices connected to the network to exceed 1 trillion by 2012, with just 17 billion of those comprised by traditional networked devices.
* All the latest news from the SunNetwork conference will be appearing on idm.net.au over the next two days. Also, see the July/August issue of IDM magazine for a full even wrap up. Click here to subscribe to IDM magazine
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