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Technology Stocks : All About Sun Microsystems -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: ms.smartest.person who wrote (33589)	7/16/2000 1:53:05 AM
From: ms.smartest.person	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 64865

Part II: The Net Effect Almost from its founding in 1982, Sun has pursued a vision in which computing power resides on huge servers, whisking data and other services to PCs, handheld gadgets, and other devices. Thanks to the Web, Sun's vision is becoming reality. So Sun is honing its strategy, management techniques, and technology to become the dominant computer company in the Internet Age. Strategy Redefine Net Software: Today, hundreds of niche software outfits hawk a mind-numbing patchwork of applications. Sun wants to create a new category of software that combines many Net programs into one super-reliable whole that's included with its server. As Reliable as the Phone Network: Sun is moving beyond just hardware to offer pretested configurations that include storage, Net software, and popular applications. That's how telco switchmakers like Lucent and Nortel managed to make the phone network fail-safe. Lock Up the Service Providers: Having guessed right that software would be delivered over the Net rather than as CDs to be installed on PCs, Sun has the early lead with companies that will deliver the software--from Net newbies to huge telcos. Management Central Authority: On July 1, Sun created into one uber-sales operation, rather than fiercely independent server, software, chip, and services units. That way, customers can deal with one salesman. More important, engineers are working together to design resilient systems by making sure, for example, that Net software can detect chip or disk-drive failures. No More Cowboys: Sun has been known as the freewheeling cowboy of the computer business. Now it's adding big-company processes--such as extensive audits of a customer's tech operations before taking the order. Technology The Grand Design: Sun is the architect of some of the sexier elements of the Web, such as its Java Net software. Now engineers are focusing on keeping the Net running all the time--like how to build backup systems to avoid failures in chips, servers, software, and networks. Pay-As-You-Grow: Sun is working on hardware and software components that allow fast-growing customers to add what they need without ever having to scrap old equipment. The Storage is the Network: New VCR-sized storage devices that can be located anywhere on the Net--instead of just in central data centers--putting information closer to users. Leadership Forging Industry Standards: With Java a Net standard, Sun continues to push its Jini technology, which promises to let any digital device talk to any other. That way, your browser-equipped cell phone could print on any nearby Jini-ready printer. Setting Ground Rules: Not all Net companies know how to operate around the clock. So Sun has a program to lay out best practices, from how to ensure backup to how to prevent data centers from becoming overheated. Some 300 companies have qualified for this stamp of approval of the Net Age. businessweek.com