coupland's Journal: Sun to cash in on utility computing

When I read this article today I decided it was time for another one of my technology predictions. It really surprised me because I saw hard facts, figures, and prices for true utility computing coming from the champion of specialized, high-cost computing, Sun. What's going on here? Pay-per-gigabyte NAS? Sliding price scales for underdeveloped countries? IBM is the company everyone thinks of when it comes to "on demand computing" but what Sun is talking about here is far more tangible and specific than anything I've heard from IBM. Can a leopard change its spots? This is the first time in a couple years that I've heard anything from Sun that genuinely intrigued me.

Now on to the prediction! This is a cohesive message to me. This is something people can latch onto and understand. Utility computing for dummies. HP's message is a confusing mess, a jumble of buzzwords with no discernible meat to it. (If there is something behind it then only the executives at HP understand what that is.) If Sun can keep this kind of clarity around their strategy then I think they will begin to erode HP market share in utility computing. IBM will remain the king, but someone will want an alternative and HP just isn't cutting it. Maybe they've got a good strategy, maybe not. Who knows? They certainly can't explain it to anyone. So Sun whittles away at HP market share and sets up for themselves a nice, sustainable niche in high-quality on-demand computing power. To succeed at this they will need to really work on their brand to make sure it's at the forefront of people's minds, well-defined, trustworthy, and readily associated with computing on demand. Personally I think they've taken the right first steps.