MOVIES

SANTA CLARA, Calif., -- Sun Microsystems, Inc., today previewed its response to customers' need for greater simplicity, predictability and affordability of enterprise computing environments with a new product and business strategy, code named Project Orion. Based on two decades of releasing world-class enterprise software, Project Orion will dramatically simplify the acquisition, deployment and operation for all of Sun's award-winning enterprise infrastructure software. With Project Orion, Sun converges the company's software offerings into a predictable, scheduled quarterly release of an integrated software system distributed on Solaris(tm), Solaris for x86 and Linux. Project Orion leverages Sun's proven competency in developing and releasing large-scale systems software, best demonstrated by its multi-platform Solaris operating system. The effort will align the integration, testing and release of all of the company's software products and pricing models, thereby helping customers to easily deploy either a fully pre-integrated software system, or selected components of the system with dramatically less expense and complexity. This alignment process frees IT organizations from having to staff similar release or distribution teams within their enterprises; driving software system lifecycle cost out of IT operations, yielding expense savings, availability, uptime and predictability. Project Orion also allows customers to select best-of-breed components from Sun's partners if they so choose. "Project Orion changes the way Sun does business so our customers can profit more from the way they do business," said Jonathan Schwartz, executive vice president of Software, Sun Microsystems. "We've heard consistently that CIOs are tired of handling the integration role for the operating environment. They want us to engineer the complexity out, drive standards and interoperability, and get the costs down. We're leading the industry in delivering the most affordable, complete and interoperable operating environment, on multiple platforms, and at prices that bring carrier-grade scale and industry-open standards to all customers, large and small." "The integrated approach of Project Orion is a step in the right direction by Sun to reduce the complexity of our computing environment," said Kim Ross, CIO, Nielsen Media Research. Project Orion comprises three industry leading breakthroughs: -- A Systematic Approach -- the methodology to design, develop, and deliver software using "software-train" releases to define a set of stringent criteria that all software components must satisfy before the integrated system will ship. This capability has been developed over 20 years of releasing Solaris. -- A Software System -- the open and integrated software portfolio of all of Sun's enterprise infrastructure software where everything seamlessly works together, and consistently exercises a set of common components, architectures, and technologies. This redefines the meaning of operating systems and middleware to create the first real Web services delivery platform. -- Business Strategy -- a simplified acquisition, more affordable and predictable business model that applies to the enterprise infrastructure software from Sun. Customers can still purchase individual software components, or the entire software system with one single uniform pricing model. The result is a completely integrated operating environment that is immediately available to use and grow at the customer's convenience. The spectrum of software included in Project Orion will span Solaris and Linux at the core with a common Java(tm) runtime environment that integrates web services infrastructure technologies, such as application servers and portals; Microsoft-interoperable email and communications; Liberty-enabled directory and identity; Grid engine, streaming media, storage management, availability monitoring technologies, and clustering. "This is definitely the right direction; Sun has a track record of shipping a high-quality Solaris OS," said Gary Horn, Manager, Network Services, Advocate Health Care. "If Sun delivers on Project Orion, Advocate Health Care will see a real benefit that will allow us to simplify our own design complexity and process." "Sun has taken another step in the right direction with Project Orion," said Curt Smith, General Manager, Managed Information Systems, SaskTel. "Consistent, regular delivery of Sun's enterprise infrastructure software will help SaskTel deliver reliable, innovative, easy-to-use services to our customers."