NSW government signs open standards desktop deal
The move represents one of the largest rollouts of non-Microsoft based software within the state government.
The e-mail and calendaring system -- being deployed across Motor Registry staff -- is based on Sun's Enterprise Messaging Consolidation solution, as well as components of the Java Enterprise System.
Sun said it would migrate 1,500 users across 120 offices from Microsoft Exchange to the Sun Java System Messaging and Calendar Servers for e-mail and calendaring.
The StarOffice productivity suite will be used by 300 RTA managers and senior officers for word-processing, spreadsheets and presentation development, Sun said. In addition, the RTA plans to deploy a Mozilla browser and client viewer to access e-mail and calendar information.
"In a move to a centralised server model, the RTA will also deploy 12 Sun servers including some of Sun's latest mid-market offerings that run Linux on Opteron and Intel processors (Sun V20z, V440 and V240)," Sun said. M
RTA chief information officer, Greg Carvouni, said in a statement the organisation wanted to shift to an open-standards-based system on the desktop to slash its escalating software and maintenance costs.
"Sun's standards-based, back-end infrastructure is the critical first step in moving the RTA to open-source alternatives across the enterprise," said Carvouni.
"The RTA expects to reduce desktop and server costs by at least 20 per cent with the migration to Sun's open source-based Sun Java System Messaging Server and StarOffice, the productivity suite based on open-source initiatives," Carvouni said.
"Savings of up to AU$2 million per annum could be realised when the implementation of this technology is extended to connect up to half of the RTA's 7,000 desktops in the next few years."
Gates is scheduled to give a press conference in Sydney on Monday.