Design & Manufacturing

Sun Enterprise IT Architecture – The Foundation for Competitive Advantage

apidly changing market conditions in demand. Average loads can be as little as enterprise level, users may be required R today's global economy have forced 20 percent of the peak volume, causing to log on multiple times in order to access manufacturers to focus on flexibility and system resources to be significantly under- the different systems in which the data agility. Product development teams and utilized. By designing an n-tier architecture resides. A centralized identity manage- operations managers must be able to adapt to enable resource sharing (Figure 1), ment system can be integrated into the designs and production plans in response applications can be deployed using fewer portal server environment to offer single to changing customer needs, competitive resources, saving on capital costs. sign-on (SSO) capability. Rather than offerings, and potential cost or delivery Developing infrastructure services such having to remember multiple user IDs issues in the global supply chain. Thriving as messaging and portal delivery based on and passwords for different applications in this environment requires an IT infra- open standards such as ™ 2 Platform, and data sources, users can have a single structure that can enhance the ability to Enterprise Edition (J2EE™) can also help user ID that enables access to all of their disseminate and leverage information reduce the cost of application development computing resources. throughout the enterprise. and make it easier to maintain software An identity defines a user’s attri- Over the past decade, manufacturers applications. For example, developers can butes, rights, and entitlements. It can have invested heavily in information sys- write software components that can be include context-sensitive identity tems ranging from CAD/CAM/CAE sys- delivered through a common portal regard- information that enables applications tems to enterprise resource planning less of the user’s access method or device to treat users differently depending on (ERP). While these systems have provided type. This allows manufacturers to build their method of access, location, and significant gains in productivity, they have application services that support both desk- so on. A network identity solution can generally been implemented as isolated top devices and mobile devices without hav- provide a single authoritative source systems that are focused on one area of the ing to tailor their software to a specific for access to all applications and data product lifecycle. Today’s emphasis on device type. Information from many data throughout the enterprise. product lifecycle management (PLM) sources can be aggregated for delivery to Another key criterion for a next- broadens the focus not only by considering many devices, providing the means to lever- generation Web services architecture is subsequent lifecycle stages in the product age this data throughout the extended enter- the ability to simplify management of design, but also by providing an IT infra- prise, including customers and suppliers. complex networks of servers and storage structure that enables data from every IT architecture can also play a big role devices. If administrators can pool stage of the product lifecycle to be lever- in providing security for enterprise appli- resources and share them across multiple aged throughout the enterprise. True shar- cations and data. If security is managed application services, they have a chance to ing of information across all stages of the at the application level and not at the reduce operating costs and increase agility. product lifecycle requires an IT architec- ture that simplifies integration between applications so that islands of automation can be avoided.

Architecture Matters An IT architecture can also have a big impact on the cost of developing and deploying enterprise applications and can enable businesses to better leverage infor- mation collected and maintained in PLM, ERP, and SCM systems. Traditional data- center architectures assign specific system resources such as servers, storage, and net- work resources to specific applications. Because services and applications aren't designed to share, each must carry its own excess capacity in order to meet peaks in Figure 1 A distributed n-tier architecture can help simplify resource sharing.

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Network Computing portal delivery. Enterprise security can be Solutions from Sun improved by eliminating the need to manage is a leading provider of indus- user authentication and access control from trial-strength hardware, software, and services within individual applications. for network computing. Sun servers and storage • Sun iForce™ solution sets offer pre-configured products are designed for mission-critical, con- solutions based on best-of-breed software tinuous computing and offer proven scalability applications and proven architectures, reduc- with enterprise software solutions such as PLM ing the risk of unforeseen problems during Since its inception in 1982, a singular and ERP. Sun products, technologies, and serv- implementation. vision – “The Network Is The Computer” – has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. ices are also designed to support business agility • Sun’s Reference Architectures combine tech- (Nasdaq: SUNW) to its position as a lead- through flexible resource allocation, enabling nology products from Sun and best-in-class ing provider of industrial-strength hard- cost-effective solutions for rapid growth and third parties to help reduce the complexity ware, software, and services that make the dynamically changing business conditions. and risk associated with deploying network Net work. Sun can be found in more than 100 countries and on the Web at http://sun.com. Sun provides complete solutions by teaming with leading software partners to Scott McNealy deliver solutions that offer lower total cost of ownership, accelerated deployment, Chairman, President, and CEO reduced risk, and greater agility. Mark Tolliver Executive VP of Marketing and Strategy and Chief Strategy Officer Sun provides complete solutions by teaming infrastructure solutions such as messaging, Stephen McGowan with leading software partners to deliver solu- business intelligence, and data warehousing. Executive VP of Corporate Resources tions that offer lower total cost of ownership • The Sun™ Customer Ready Systems (CRS) and Chief Financial Officer (TCO), accelerated deployment, reduced risk, program offers flexible Sun factory integra- and greater agility. tion capabilities and a wide range of services Sun Microsystems, Inc. to help deliver enhanced reliability, faster 4150 Network Circle Santa Clara, CA 95054 Total Cost of Ownership deployment times, and lower TCO. Toll-Free 800.555.9SUN There are several key advantages of Sun’s offer- Phone 650.960.1300 ings that can help reduce TCO. Greater Agility Business Contact • Sun servers and management tools make it Sun can help businesses respond quickly to change: Steve Kimmey easy to share resources between applications • The highly scalable ™ server product Manufacturing Segment Manager using features such as dynamic system line enables system upgrades without taking Sun Microsystems, Inc. Phone 650.786.4731 domains and dynamic reconfiguration. the system offline. [email protected] • Sun offers investment protection through a • Sun dynamic system domains enable system binary compatible server line and the Sun resources such as processors, memory, and ONE software platform, which can help I/O devices, to be shifted from one domain extend the life of legacy systems by offering to another based on a variety of criteria such connectivity to a Web services environment. as time of day or workload levels. • The Sun™ ONE Identity Server saves time in • Solaris Flash technology provides the power managing user profiles by providing a single to capture a snapshot image of a complete integrated source for user profiles that can be server to greatly speed up the process of replicated to multiple directories throughout repurposing servers as workloads change. the enterprise. Summary Faster Deployment and Lower Risk Sun’s value to manufacturing companies lies in Sun offerings can help accelerate deployment Sun’s close relationships with key software ven- time and reduce risk. dors and System Integrators, Sun’s network com- • The Sun ONE software platform saves valu- puting and PLM implementation expertise, and able time in application development and the scalability, compatibility, security, and avail- deployment by providing key infrastructure ability built into Sun’s leading-edge server, stor- services such as identity management and age, and software products. ■

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