Sun To Offer Factory Integration Of Hardware, Software

Sun Microsystems

The new Sun Customer Ready Systems (CRS) program is similar to the Sun Floor Tile Ready (FTR) program launched last October, said Raj Das, director of marketing for Sun's integrated products group. Like that program, CRS offers preintegrated hardware configurations to Sun partners and customers so they can get solutions up and running faster, he said.

The key difference between the programs is that through CRS, Sun now will preconfigure both complementary third-party software, such as Oracle databases or applications, and/or components of the Sun ONE software platform on Sun hardware, said Das. CRS also is a worldwide program, while FTR was only available in the United States, he added.

When Sun launched the FTR program, some solution providers expressed concern it would compete with their ability to derive revenue from integration services. When asked if CRS would compete with systems integrators, Das said that Sun will only provide basic integration to ensure the hardware system and the software functions properly, leaving plenty of opportunity for solution providers to add value.

"Partners are looking for more and more of base-level integration so they can focus on their specialization," said Das. "There's a big difference between having software loaded [on the system and doing the testing to make sure it bakes into a customer's network."

There are three ways Sun is charging for the hardware integration under the CRS program, said Das. For volume servers, such as the Netra X1 or Sun Fire 280R servers, Sun is charging $195 per system. For midrange and high-end enterprise servers, such as the Sun Fire 3800 or the Sun Fire 15K servers, Sun is charging $595 per system. For rack-level integration, the charge is $1,495 per rack, said Das.

Das said there is no extra charge to configure Solaris or Sun software on the systems, but there is a $295 charge to preconfigure third-party software.