Sun lands Amex in Java server deal

American Express has become a new customer of Sun's Java Enterprise System server software, Sun announced on Wednesday. Amex will use the JES middleware suite in place of existing Java middleware for its 70,000 employees, said John Loiacono, Sun's executive vice president of software. The deal helped increase the cumulative number of JES subscribers to 1.1 million.

Sun sells the JES software for $140 per customer employee per year rather than charging per server processor. Other new server software customers include Equifax and Harrods, Sun said. Loiacono said that the $140 per employee yearly fee covers the use of the software for internal users as well as on the company's public web sites. "We're seeing companies moving toward subscription pricing, including software," he said. "People like the idea of a fixed pricing model." He added that when Sun open sources the components of JES later this year, the pricing will remain consistent with the current subscription model.