SYDNEY, Australia - 28 May 2003 - Leading Australian system provider,
SolNet - a Sun Microsystems iForce[sm] partner - has architected a thin
client solution using Sun hardware and software to significantly reduce
cost and complexity for book manufacturer, Ligare.

Ligare's core business comprises printing legal, technical and
educational publications. The NSW book manufacturer had been looking to
overhaul its disparate PC network, integrate its hardware platforms and
upgrade its ERP system in order to achieve a standard operating
environment.

"Ligare has grown rapidly over the past 20 years," said Ligare
Information Systems Manager, Dominic McDonald. "Like many other small
to medium sized enterprises, the organisation had historically taken an
ad-hoc approach to the development of its IT infrastructure adding
individual components as and when needed."

"To sustain the growth we were achieving, Ligare needed to implement a
standard operating environment that would support multiple users across
the company's three offices in New South Wales."

Ligare selected a smart card-equipped, thin client solution from SolNet
that aimed to reduce the company's costs and complexity while
delivering session portability, mobility and security.

The infrastructure solution includes 2 Sun Fire[tm] 280R servers; a Sun
StorEdge[tm] D2 storage array - for shared storage for both Sun
Fire[tm] servers; 20 Sun Ray[tm] 1 thin clients; Sun's StarOffice
Productivity Suite; and Oracle's manufacturing applications suite,
mPowered Manufacturing pre-configured on Sun's hardware.

SolNet provided Ligare with finance for the implementation under Sun's
partner finance model. The Technology Refresh finance option gave
Ligare an economical and flexible alternative to the outright purchase
of IT equipment. The program will enable Ligare to continually scale
and refresh its technology on a needs basis.  Smart card technology and
StarOffice deliver mobility and cost savings

The Sun Ray 1 thin clients are compact, plug-and-work devices with no
moving parts. They process only user input and screen output and draw
on the Sun Fire servers for data and applications.

The thin clients are used by Ligare's employees, including printing
press operators, to access data held in the Oracle eBusiness
Applications and Sun's StarOffice Productivity Suite.

The Java[tm] Smart Card - a unique feature bringing flexibility and
mobility to the user - is inserted into the Sun Ray thin client,
instantly authenticating the user, and retrieving his or her session on
the network. This makes information more portable without compromising
security.

"In practical terms, for Ligare this means that a press operator can
log onto any SunRay thin client at any location within the factory and
instantly access their personal work session. They get faster access to
relevant data without being tied to a single terminal,"

--Lee Gale, National Partner Manager, SolNet.

The ability to run Oracle technology over the thin client architecture
alongside StarOffice productivity software compounded cost savings.

According to Mr McDonald, Ligare has already realised significant
savings from implementing software based on open source. "Our estimates
show that the new infrastructure has saved Ligare close to $30,000 on
software licensing fees alone." iForce Partner program delivers
benefits to enterprise and partners alike

The success of the implementation demonstrates the benefits Sun's
iForce Partner program delivers enterprise users and partners alike.

"This solution is great example of Sun's iForce Partner program at
work. Sun's partnership with SolNet has resulted in a cost effective
solution that is easy to manage and delivered better results for
Ligare," said Paul O'Connor, Director Partner Sales, Sun Microsystems.

"By delivering the Oracle software pre-configured on Sun hardware,
Ligare benefited from significantly faster deployment times. Once
installed, Ligare employees can use smart cards to pull down
information onto thin client terminals throughout the operations,
significantly enhancing mobility while protecting information
security," he said.

For more information:
Sun Microsystems Australia
Catherine Vissiere
(+612) 9844 5278
pr-aus@sun.com