Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Database
    • Database
    • Servers

    Sun Restructures Reseller Program, Unveils New Solaris Support Subscriptions

    By
    Peter Galli
    -
    January 16, 2007
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Sun Microsystems has launched a suite of new Solaris support subscriptions and restructured its reseller program as it moves to aggressively compete with its commercial Linux competitors like Red Hat.

      “We are delivering a whole new suite of service packages that will make us competitive against our Linux competitors like Red Hat,” Peder Ulander, the vice president of software marketing for Sun, told eWEEK.

      “We took a snapshot of what Red Hat offers today in terms of a support package, and took 40 percent off the top of that, mirrored the services, and embedded that with our support capabilities,” he said.

      /zimages/4/28571.gifSun plans to license OpenSolaris under the GPLv3. Click here to read more.

      The new Solaris support subscriptions also include full indemnification and binary and source code compatibility, and provide access to free updates and upgrades to the latest Solaris technologies.

      There are five tiers of subscriptions, which range in price from $49 per-incident support, which is targeted at developers, to the customized site-wide Solaris Everywhere Plan, and are integrated across Sun and non-Sun x86, x64 and SPARC platforms, Ulander said.

      “This is extremely competitive with commercial Linux distribution pricing as well as the support offered for those customers who use raw, open-source code type of model,” he said.

      /zimages/4/28571.gifRead more here about Suns new blade offering, services.

      Sun is also aggressively going after the channel to build more availability of Solaris in its non-traditional markets, such as in the startup market, Ulander said.

      The new Solaris Ready Program for Resellers improves the quality and quantity of support options for Solaris customers and accelerates the ability of Sun channel partners to deliver Solaris solutions on x86 systems.

      “If somebody wanted to buy from Sun, were very difficult to buy from. So there will be new channel and Web programs to deliver our technologies and engage with customers better only makes it easier to gain access to our technologies,” he said.

      /zimages/4/28571.gifClick here to read about the 128-bit Zettabyte File System in Solaris 10.

      While Sun is recognized for its enterprise datacenter technologies, it is not known for building open-source operating platforms that enable customers to build out their next generation of Web servers.

      “Its not because the technology or capabilities havent been there, it is really because of a lack of awareness, a lack of support and partner programs and a lack of channel that has kept us out of having that true awareness there,” Ulander told eWEEK.

      Sun is also offering a series of migration support programs, known as the Web Tier Advantage Program, which allows customers to move to a more efficient environment for Web-tier deployments, through a wide range of services and tools that will be available for free and for a fee.

      /zimages/4/28571.gifRead more here about the release of the third update to Solaris 10.

      Sun is also offering the Global Migration Program for IBM AIX, HP-UX, Tru64, VMS, Red Hat Linux and Novell SUSE Linux, while the Hats off to Solaris Program “capitalizes on the forced migration of Red Hat customers from Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3. It provides tools, documentation and services to help ease migration,” Ulander said.

      The goal of all of this is to get Suns message out to the market loud and clear: “that we are going mainstream, and that Solaris is the ideal Linux on Intel replacement for the Web and edge tier, and is the ideal platform for Web 2.0,” he said.

      “It is really going to be serving in this space, where we believe customers are being underserved by Linux. What it comes down to is demonstrating our partner viability on the more than 800 hardware platforms that run on Sparc, Intel or AMD chip sets,” Ulander said.

      Asked about securing deals with OEMs to preload its software on their hardware, Ulander said that would be the target of a future wave.

      “But you are going to see an aggressive push from the Solaris team over the next six months with new announcements, programs and components being delivered every month,” he said.

      /zimages/4/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms for the latest open-source news, reviews and analysis.

      Peter Galli
      Peter Galli has been a financial/technology reporter for 12 years at leading publications in South Africa, the UK and the US. He has been Investment Editor of South Africa's Business Day Newspaper, the sister publication of the Financial Times of London.He was also Group Financial Communications Manager for First National Bank, the second largest banking group in South Africa before moving on to become Executive News Editor of Business Report, the largest daily financial newspaper in South Africa, owned by the global Independent Newspapers group.He was responsible for a national reporting team of 20 based in four bureaus. He also edited and contributed to its weekly technology page, and launched a financial and technology radio service supplying daily news bulletins to the national broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation, which were then distributed to some 50 radio stations across the country.He was then transferred to San Francisco as Business Report's U.S. Correspondent to cover Silicon Valley, trade and finance between the US, Europe and emerging markets like South Africa. After serving that role for more than two years, he joined eWeek as a Senior Editor, covering software platforms in August 2000.He has comprehensively covered Microsoft and its Windows and .Net platforms, as well as the many legal challenges it has faced. He has also focused on Sun Microsystems and its Solaris operating environment, Java and Unix offerings. He covers developments in the open source community, particularly around the Linux kernel and the effects it will have on the enterprise.He has written extensively about new products for the Linux and Unix platforms, the development of open standards and critically looked at the potential Linux has to offer an alternative operating system and platform to Windows, .Net and Unix-based solutions like Solaris.His interviews with senior industry executives include Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Linus Torvalds, the original developer of the Linux operating system, Sun CEO Scot McNealy, and Bill Zeitler, a senior vice president at IBM.For numerous examples of his writing you can search under his name at the eWEEK Website at www.eweek.com.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×