Struggling server seller Sun Microsystems has unveiled a survival strategy consisting of a slew of new products, slashed prices and continued allegiance towards its own technology and research and development (R&D) capacity.
The once high-flying technology powerhouse unveiled a family of network computing products, including a new Sun Fire Blade Server platform, the fruits of a US$500m quarterly R&D spend.
The announcement included elements of Sun’s network computing platform, including the new server platform and multiple enterprise class servers at value price points. The company also delivered on its N1 strategy with the first N1 software release, the N1 provisioning Server 3.0, Blades Edition.
Describing the announcement as “changing the shape of computing”, Sun’s CEO, Scott McNeally, says: “By changing the way we develop, go to market and support our products to a single unified view of the network computing platform, we have put Sun on a course to deliver an increasingly responsive and efficient infrastructure that will deliver a higher quality of service at lower cost.”
He say the announcement demonstrated a swift execution of the company’s N1 vision of a multi-platform, multi-vendor operating environment for network. N1 effectively enables widely distributed networking resources to operate as a single, powerful network computer.
Among the products unveiled as the fruits of a US$500m quarterly R&D spend were: the Sun Fire Blade Platform; the N1 Provisioning Server 3.0, Blades Edition; Sun N1 Services; Sun StorEdge 3310 NAS; Sun Fire V1280 rack-mounted system for enterprise network computing; Sun Fire V880z visualistion system; Sun StorEdge 3510 FC Array; UltraSPARC III processor and a new partner programme structured around the Sun Fire Blade platform.
By John Kennedy
