Sun sets sight on volume market with virtualisation bundles

Sun Microsystems is upping the heat in the virtualisation space with plans to offer one-box bundle solutions in conjunction with VMware for small to medium-sized enterprises.

The offering follows what the vendor describes as a "re-organisation" of key personnel to better target volume business in the region. 

Basil Ayass, x64 product manager at Sun Microsystems, explains that the new solutions will be offered in a range of sizes.

"We're going to bundle a ready-to-go solution in small, medium and large sizes. You'll have a virtualisation system which will have VMware and Sun blades targeting customers with 20 servers or less. It will be bundled in such a way that we can provide the hardware, software, implementation and support in one convenient-to-order price across all our resellers across the region," he says.

"When customers ring up Sun and want virtualisation, we tell them that if they fall in the small and medium category, it's simple and straightforward. You have to order it from any of our partners, it's this price and you get these part numbers," adds Ayass.

In April this year, Sun began selling and supporting VMware across its x86 server line. Several months into the partnership, the duo noticed a strong interest from smaller enterprises.

"Contrary to popular thought, but there is interest on the SME side. Virtualisation should not only be for the big enterprises, because the benefits are across the board. The SMEs are interested, yet our current process is too time-consuming and complicated. They have to assemble the hardware and software, get someone to implement it, do the sizing correctly. So we said: ‘Wait a minute - we've done a few of these now and they all lead to the same answer. How about we bundle the answer and make it simple?'" explains Ayass.

Craig Vintcent, systems practice manager for MENA at Sun Microsystems, notes the strategic implications for this new direction: "Sun is clearly making a statement that we are not only in the enterprise business and are moving into the volume space. All we're doing is extending the reach of our offering with our OEM partners."

"With so many definitions of virtualisation in the market out there, Sun wants to simplify the message as much as possible," adds Vintcent.

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