Sun to Sell Enhanced Operating Software
Sun Microsystems Inc. today will start selling a high-security version of its operating system that runs on standard chips from Intel Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc.
Sun’s Trusted Solaris software, previously available only for computers with Sun’s own microprocessors, meets the stringent international standards for security that are required by some government buyers and are increasingly of interest to commercial customers, analysts said.
Its features include the ability to view records of what users did on the machines and the absence of typical special privileges for administrative users, which can be abused.
Redesigning the operating system to work on more pervasive chips is part of Sun’s new strategy of focusing on selling software even to customers that don’t have Sun hardware.
Sun earns most of its money selling big-ticket servers that run on its own Sparc microprocessors and Solaris operating system. But it is being squeezed by rival big-machine makers IBM Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co., which also sell costly machines, and by makers of less expensive systems running Microsoft Corp. software and using Intel chips.
The introduction of Trusted Solaris for Intel and AMD chips takes advantage of a growing demand for computer security spurred by new laws and regulations, said Forrester Research information security analyst Michael Rasmussen, who owns no Sun shares.
Rasmussen cited tough health-care privacy laws, rules governing the security financial records and a new California law that will require companies to make disclosures when customer information has been hacked.
And Santa Clara, Calif.-based Sun is in a strong position to capitalize on that demand, Rasmussen said.
“Sun has been doing security right for a long time,” he said. Trusted Solaris meets some security standards that software from IBM, Silicon Graphics Inc. and Hewlett-Packard do not, he said.
Trusted Solaris will cost $999 to $2,495.
Also today, Sun said, it will release more programs that make it easier to apportion data storage on complex server networks.
Sun shares closed Monday at $3.36, up 2 cents in Nasdaq trading.
