Sun offers fast track to online apps

Sun Microsystems is launching a program to help software makers convert their existing, on-premise applications into software-as-a-service offerings.

The Solaris On Demand program, announced on Wednesday, is targeted at independent software vendors. Sun offers the software, hosting and services to convert applications. Sun says it is partnering with NaviSite. AT&T's USi Communications, and NTT Europe to provide hosting services.

Sun, along with partners, will offer a 90-day proof-of-concept trial to give independent software vendors access to hosting, hardware managed services, and backup services. The company guarantees a service level agreement of 99.5 percent uptime.

The service price varies by ISV, based on the scope of work needed, according to Sun. The price "can vary from a thousand dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars based on how many seats are required," according to Vince Vasquez, a business development manager at Sun.

[NikzR]

IBM and Sun Microsystems both make computer systems for the corporate world. By purchasing Sun, IBM would get a leg up in the global finance and telecommunications markets. Representatives from both sides have yet to comment as of this writing. Sun Microsystems is both information technology and software company, and been recognized since the 80s. They had become one of the biggest competitors with Microsoft for IT and corporate software and hardware. However, after the dot com bust in the early 2000s, Sun Microsystems has begun to struggle a bit. Instant payday loans aren't really going to help them, but they have entered negotiations with IBM for a buyout that's supposed to total around $6.5 billion. News of the talks has boosted Suns' stock on the market. It may be the best move for them to avoid staring down bankruptcy, which would be a disaster for a firm as large as Sun Microsystems.

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