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Sun Microsystems Storms the Server Market, Beats UNIX Competitors in Revenue and Shipments

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

In a remarkable achievement, Sun Microsystems has surpassed all UNIX competitors in revenue and unit shipments in the first half of 1998. According to International Data Corporation (IDC), Sun has captured the top spot in the overall UNIX server market, with a 27 percent share of all UNIX server revenue. This victory can be attributed to the success of Sun's midrange Sun Enterprise 3500-6500 server series, which offers outstanding scalability, performance, and reliability. These features have resonated with customers across various industries, resulting in a significant expansion of Sun's installed base worldwide.

Key Takeaways:

  • Sun Microsystems has outperformed all UNIX competitors in revenue and unit shipments in the first half of 1998, capturing a 27 percent share of all UNIX server revenue.
  • The success of Sun's midrange Sun Enterprise 3500-6500 server series has been a key factor in this achievement, offering outstanding scalability, performance, and reliability.
  • These features have attracted a wide range of customers across various industries, resulting in a significant expansion of Sun's installed base worldwide.
  • Sun's ability to meet customer needs for availability, scalability, and performance has been a deciding factor in its market share gains.
  • The Sun Enterprise 3500-6500 server series is the first and only system to offer mainframe-class technologies of dynamic reconfiguration (DR) and alternate pathing (AP) at the midrange level.
  • Sun's midrange servers have been chosen by customers for their reputation for service and support, ease of maintenance, and price.
  • Sun has demonstrated its commitment to meeting user needs for availability, scalability, and performance in an increasingly Internet-driven, network computing world.

Statistics:

  • 27 percent: Share of all UNIX server revenue captured by Sun Microsystems in the first half of 1998[1].
  • 26 percent: Share of total midrange server market in Q2 CY98 held by Sun Microsystems[1].
  • 60,000: Number of user profiles managed by MatchLogic using Sun servers[2].
  • 3: Number of Sun Enterprise 3500 servers added to MatchLogic's base of two Sun Enterprise 6000 servers, two Sun Enterprise 4000 servers, two Sun Enterprise 3000 servers, and one Sun Enterprise 450 workgroup server[2].
  • Over £863 million: Annual turnover of Scottish and Newcastle Retail, a company that uses Sun servers throughout its operations[3].

Sources:

  • "IDC Quarterly Server Tracker, September 1998," International Data Corporation, Framingham, Mass.[1]
  • Sun Microsystems press release, "Sun storms the server market, beats all UNIX competitors in revenue and shipments for first half of 1998"[4]
  • MatchLogic press release, "MatchLogic Selects Sun Enterprise Servers to Power Internet Advertising Campaign Management"[2]
  • Scottish and Newcastle Retail press release, "Sun Servers Fuel UK Retailer's Booming Operations"[3]

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