Microsoft and Sun Expand Strategic Alliance

You may have seen this already — today Microsoft and Sun announced an expansion of the strategic alliance between the two companies.

 Key highlights of the announcement:

•         Sun and Microsoft are announcing that Sun has signed on as a Windows Server OEM, and both companies will collaborate to further enable deployment of Windows Server on Sun x64 systems.

·         Sun and Microsoft have committed to working together to ensure that Solaris runs well as a guest OS in Microsoft virtualization technologies and, to ensure Windows Server runs well as a guest on Sun’s virtualization technologies. Sun and Microsoft will work together on a support process for customers who are using the virtualization solutions. 

·         Since 2004, the Sun/Microsoft collaboration has produced compelling interoperability capabilities in areas such as Web services, identity management, thin clients, and systems management. This collaboration is now being expanded in ways that will allow Microsoft Windows Server customers to choose Sun for their heterogeneous infrastructure needs and to quickly deploy 64 bit technologies from both companies on Sun Fire x64 and StorageTek systems.

·         As a Microsoft Windows Server OEM, Gold Certified Partner and a founding member of the Interoperability Vendor Alliance, Sun with Microsoft’s support expects to increase its participation in upcoming Windows Hardware Engineering Conferences (WinHEC), Microsoft TechEd and Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conferences.  Similarly, Microsoft expects to continue its participation in JavaOne.

We look forward to contiuing to work with the folks at Sun.

Helene