WorldCom managed hosting services earn prestigious SunTone (sm) certification
WorldCom and Sun team to deliver best-in-class managed hosting solutions to businesses worldwide
CLINTON, Miss., and PALO ALTO, Calif., October 1, 2001 - WorldCom (NASDAQ: WCOM), the leading global business data and Internet communications provider, and Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUNW), a leader in Internet computing, announced an agreement to jointly market and promote global hosting product and service offerings for enterprise customers. Sun will also become WorldCom's provider of UNIX® system-based hardware and software for its global network of data centers.
Under the joint marketing and sales agreement, WorldCom and Sun will team on sales opportunities, leveraging the combined capabilities, products and services of both companies. "This agreement enables WorldCom and Sun customers to rely on the combined strengths of two Internet pioneers that will deliver the advanced networking and hosting technologies they need with solid confidence and maximum value," said Ron McMurtrie, vice president of WorldCom Global e-Services.
WorldCom offers its customers access to the secure, high-performance Sun platform in its managed hosting data centers in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan. The company will support Sun servers and storage running on the robust SolarisTM Operating Environment, as well as iPlanetTM Web Server software from iPlanet E-Commerce Solutions, a Sun-Netscape Alliance. Sun is also providing consulting, service and support to help meet the availability standards WorldCom customers expect.
Additionally, the agreement allows WorldCom to serve as a reseller of Sun hardware and software to its Internet colocation customers. This new capability enables WorldCom to offer its colocation customers a complete, one-stop, single-source solution for all of their hosting needs.
In related news, WorldCom's comprehensive portfolio of managed hosting services has earned the SunToneSM Certified quality "seal of approval" from the SunTone Certification and Branding Program.
Led by Sun, the SunTone program is a collaborative industry initiative providing customers of Web-enabled services and applications with means to identify providers meeting the high industry standards for excellence in infrastructure, reliability, performance, scalability, security and availability. SunTone certification notifies customers that WorldCom is a source for high-quality managed hosting services.
"The SunTone program is designed to assure customers that every aspect of a service provider's operations and infrastructure has been thoroughly evaluated before we attest to its top-quality capabilities," said Tim Dwyer, vice president of Sun's Industry Solutions Group. "SunTone certification tells business customers around the world that WorldCom's managed hosting services meet the industry's exacting standards for performance, reliability and security."
WorldCom's Web hosting offerings include an unparalleled range of comprehensive solutions from high-end managed hosting to Internet colocation services, meeting the needs of any enterprise. WorldCom's suite of global Web hosting products run over the company's
award-winning global IP network, through its world-class data centers located throughout the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. Managed Web hosting services are part of the full continuum of advanced data networking and communications products and services WorldCom provides to business customers of all sizes around the world.
About WorldCom Group
WorldCom Group (NASDAQ: WCOM) is a preeminent global communications provider for the digital generation, operating in more than 65 countries with annualized revenues of more than $20 billion. WorldCom provides the innovative technologies and services that are the foundation for business in the 21st century. For more information go to http://www.worldcom.com.
About Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision - The Network Is The Computer(TM) - has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUNW), to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that power the Internet and allow companies
worldwide to take their businesses to the nth. With $18.3 billion in annual revenues, Sun can be found in more than 170 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://www.sun.com.
Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, SunTone, Solaris, iPlanet and The Network Is The Computer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, exclusively licensed through X/Open Company Ltd. Netscape and the Netscape N logo are registered trademarks of Netscape Communications Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Other Netscape logos, product names and service names are also trademarks of Netscape Communications Corporation, which may be registered in other countries.
