Monday January 18, 9:00 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Egghead.com Chooses Sun Microsystems as Corporate Standard for Web Site And Business Operations
On-Line Retailer Implementing Sun Servers, Storage and Solaris Operating Environment With Oracle
Database and Application Server
NEW YORK, Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW - news) today announced
that Egghead.com, Inc., which reversed its fortunes by closing its storefronts to sell its wares on the World
Wide Web, has selected Sun™ systems and software as the corporate standard for its on-line and business
operations.
The Vancouver, Wash.-based retailer has installed several Sun Enterprise™ servers, Sun StorEdge™ disk
arrays and Solaris Operating Environment™ software to power its business operations and Web site (
egghead.com ). Egghead is using the Oracle 8 database and Oracle Application Server for the
Web site.
Egghead's Web site incorporates three shopping formats, including: The Superstores, Egghead Computer and
Egghead Software; The Egghead Surplus Direct Liquidation Center; and Egghead Auctions.
''We decided that with the sweeping changes we made going with electronic retailing all the way, it was
imperative to select vendors who were on the leading edge of electronic commerce,'' said Tom Collins, vice
president of Web operations and chief technology officer at Egghead. ''We asked 'who is being chosen for
building really big Web sites? Who is leading the pack? Who can scale up smoothly to meet new demands?'
Everything pointed to Sun and Oracle.''
''Egghead is a unique example of an aggressive retailer taking control of their own destiny with advanced
technology,'' said Bob DeLaney, worldwide group manager of retailing at Sun Microsystems. ''We're proud
to be associated with a company possessing this kind of vision.''
Egghead started by looking at Sun's most powerful servers, but Sun helped model the company's environment
to meet its growth goals without overspending. Egghead selected a configuration that included Sun
Enterprise 250, 3500, 4000 and 6500 servers and Sun StorEdge A3500 disk arrays for storage.
''We're convinced that this configuration will perform well for seasonal surges and projected growth, and it
will still leave us with plenty of room to make continued improvements to the Web site,'' said Collins.
Sun is a leader in on-line commerce, powering many industrial strength Web sites, including J. Crew, The
Sharper Image, Egghead.com, Internet Shopping Network, N2K's Music Boulevard, E*Trade and Discover
Brokerage Direct.
To facilitate its Sun implementation, Egghead.com employed Sun Professional Services for world-class
consulting expertise. ''They sent in top-flight people to work with our staff,'' said Collins. ''Because of the
great cooperation and competence of the whole team, and Sun's superb development environment, we
implemented a totally new Web site and successfully launched it in just 54 days, including installation, test
time and an entire data center relocation. It was incredible.'' |
