New Services Add Value to Sun’s Top-Rated Support Offerings – Independent Study Cites ROI Savings Up to 67%; Reduces Cost of Support, Improves System Availability and Increases System Administrator Productivity
Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUNW) today announced that it has made new services available to tens of thousands of Sun customers with SunSpectrum Service Plan coverage. SunSpectrum Service Plans, Sun’s most popular product support offerings, provide integrated hardware and Solaris Operating System support for Sun servers and workstations. Many of the service enhancements utilize Sun Connection, an integrated, secure services connection that links customers, partners, developers and Sun in a dynamic and collaborative network-based community.
“We see a real opportunity within the market to provide unparalleled value to customers through a series of compelling enhancements to our customers’ coverage,” said Don Grantham, executive vice president of Services at Sun Microsystems. “The industry has forgotten what good customer support is all about. Too many vendors are pushing end-to-end outsourcing or undertaking cost-cutting measures that alienate their customers. Sun’s approach is different — we offer choice without hidden agendas and we strive to put our customers first. This guiding approach has served us well over the years and with the strength of our new product line, we will continue to raise the bar on customer support.”
New Services in SunSpectrum Service Plan
Sun’s new services, which are immediately available at no additional cost to customers with SunSpectrum Service Plan coverage, include:
- SunSpectrum eLearning Library: An online library of technical training modules available at no additional cost. The initial set of modules focuses on the Solaris Operating System and includes new courseware for Solaris 10.
- Sun Update Connection: The first service available through Sun Connection, Sun Update Connection helps customers keep their Sun systems up-to-date and secure with automatic notification of Solaris Operating System updates, advanced analysis capabilities and multi-system remote update management. A preview release of Sun Update Connection is scheduled to be available by the end of the quarter.
- One-Stop Interoperability Assistance: Sun is formally expanding its interoperability support through a broader network of participating vendors and the inclusion of joint support centers that Sun now operates with Oracle, SAP and VERITAS.
- System Health Check Subscription: Systems with SunSpectrum Platinum Service Plan coverage are now entitled to receive Sun’s on-demand configuration assessment service, Sun System Analysis. This service helps companies proactively manage mission-critical systems.
The new Sun Spectrum services are a result of customer requests to provide a holistic solution to bring value to their business. To quantify these offerings, Sun Services engaged leading third party research companies to better understand customer perception and potential value.
Quantifying the Value of Support
Sun enlisted Forrester Research’s TEI Consulting Team to investigate the Sun Spectrum Service Plan for customers. Forrester examined the total economic impact and return on investment of SunSpectrum services in a study published in April 2005.
The Forrester study, commissioned by Sun, yielded key findings, including: lower total cost of support, improved systems availability and improved system administrator productivity with SunSpectrum service as compared to a break/fix environment. Forrester interviewed current international and national SunSpectrum service customers in financial services, telecommunications and publishing industries and through a Total Economic Impact framework developed a composite organization. The estimate risk-adjusted ROI for this composite company was 67% with a break-even point (payback period) within 12 months.
Sun also commissioned TNS Prognostics in June 2004 to gauge customer value. TNS Prognostics asked companies to rate the product support offerings of top IT vendors. Sun’s Service Plans prevailed and were ranked number one in customer value, beating Dell and IBM.
Grantham concluded, “Our best just got better with the new SunSpectrum services. Sun is building on a position of strength with top-rated support offerings, strong ROI and validation from leading industry analysts. Moving forward, as we engage with new customers, we tell them to expect the best from Sun Services.”
For more information regarding the recent enhancements to SunSpectrum Service Plans or to download the Total Economic Impact study, visit: www.sun.com/service/support/sunspectrum/newfeatures.html
About Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision — “The Network Is The Computer” — has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW) to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that make the Net work. Sun can be found in more than 100 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://sun.com
Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun log, Java, Sun Spectrum, Solaris, and The Network Is The Computer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc., in the United States and other countries.