Case Study: Deploying Business Services With the SUN Cobalt Qube 3

Comcast Communications chose the SUN Cobalt Qube 3 server to deploy LAN services to small businesses and educational institutions, a market requiring a price point that was thought to be too low to be viable.

by Peter Ulander [February 13, 2002]

Peder Ulander is a Director of Marketing for Sun Microsystems, Inc., responsible for defining the product and marketing strategy for the Sun Cobalt division of Sun Microsystems. In December 2000, Ulander joined Sun Microsystems following Sun's acquisition of Cobalt Networks. Prior to Sun Microsystems' acquisition of Cobalt Networks, Ulander served as the Director of Product Marketing for Cobalt Networks. Ulander helped drive the definition of the server appliance category and Cobalt's vision in hosting solutions. Prior to joining Cobalt Networks, Ulander was a Senior Product Marketing Manager at Symantec Corporation, where he was responsible for developing the industry's market leading PC utility software suites with Norton SystemWorks. Ulander holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California.

"As a leading innovator of products and services in the cable industry, Comcast Business Communications is seeing tremendous success in rolling out high value add services to small businesses and schools by deploying the latest in server appliance technologies from Sun Microsystems, Inc."

—Jason Livingood, Director of Internet Services, Comcast Business Communications

Comcast Business Communications
Company background
Comcast Business Communications, a division of Comcast Corporation, is redefining the delivery of broadband products and services to businesses and educational institutions of all sizes by providing integrated Internet, data and voice turnkey solutions over a powerful broadband optical network.

Established in 1963, Comcast has grown to become a Fortune 500 corporation with annual revenues of $8.2 billion (2000) and serving nearly 8.6 million subscribers, making it the third largest cable company in the U.S. Comcast is also a technology leader, being the first to test, and among the first to deploy, high-speed cable modem ser-vices.

In February 2001, Comcast Business Communications (CBC) was launched. CBC is leveraging the Comcast cable network to offer the Comcast Commercial Internet Service 2.0, an integrated Internet/Intranet and email solution aimed at small businesses and schools in eight of their key markets.

Overview of network computing
Trends and issues: small business and education markets
The explosion in demand from small businesses and educational institutions (particularly primary and secondary schools) for network computing, once deemed too complex and cost prohibitive, is now real. Service Providers, in particular, are in the best position to fulfill this demand through their extensive broadband and data center infrastructure.

Until recently, small businesses and primary and secondary schools had been excluded from the network computing revolution due to a lack of internal technical expertise, and the high cost of acquiring and maintaining computer networks.

For Service Providers, delivering network computing services to these cost sensitive markets was not a viable business opportunity because of the complex nature of network communication servers and nascent remote server management technologies. In addition, the high cost of dedicated network lines, prior to pervasive high-speed Internet bandwidth, essentially eliminated small businesses and primary and secondary schools as viable customers.

The number of small businesses (where small businesses are defined as those with 5 to 50 employees) is estimated at 4.7 million in the U.S. According to a recent survey conducted by the Arthur Group, approximately 29 percent of small businesses in the U.S. indicated they would consider an Internet/Intranet computing solution that was bundled with high-speed Internet access service. Demand for this service meets the generally accepted 20 percent minimum marketing rule of thumb for service introductions.

There is growing demand from primary and secondary schools for Internet, intranet and email services in the classrooms and schools. The number of elementary and secondary schools in the U.S. is approximately 91,000.

Requirements for the CCIS 2.0 solution
Comcast needed to find an all-in-one server appliance that could be easily and quickly deployed on a customer premise to enable a client server network and host key network and email applications.

CCIS 2.0 Network Diagram

Additionally, (see network diagram at right) the server appliance had to provide a flexible platform for building and delivering value added network services.

Finally, the server appliance had to deliver lower total cost of ownership than a Windows server alternative through better remote management capability and reliability.

Selection of suppliers
"After careful evaluation, Comcast Business Communications concluded that the Sun Cobalt Qube 3 server appliance was the best all-in-one server appliance for our CCIS 2.0 solution," said Lee Berk, Product Manager for CCIS 2.0 at CBC.

Late in 2000, Comcast Business Communications selected Sun Microsystems to supply the all-in-one server appliance to fulfill the customer premise equipment (CPE) network communications component of CCIS 2.0. In addition, Sun Professional Services was engaged to work with Comcast to develop several software enhancements for the Sun Cobalt Qube 3 server appliance. Symantec Corporation, a Sun Microsystems partner, was also chosen to provide its web filtering software.

Highlights
Company
Comcast Business Communications Online
Parent
Comcast Corporation

Industry/Market
Service Provider

Applications
Internet/Intranet CPE Solution

Target Markets
Service Provider delivery of network services to small businesses and schools

Small Business Solution Requirements
All-in-one Server Appliance
Easy to Deploy and Manage Hardware
Flexible Platform for Application Development
Broad third Party ISV Support

Key Solution Requirements
Sun Cobalt™ Qube 3 Server Appliance
Symantec I-Gear Web Filtering Software
Sun Microsystems Professional Services

Business Benefits
Generate New Revenue Streams with the Sun Cobalt Qube 3 server appliance
Reduce Customer Churn
Penetrate Small Business and Education Markets

—End