Web-enable Your Enterprise With J2SE Technology

The lessons of the dot-com era are clear: Open beats proprietary; platform-independent beats platform-specific; choice beats single-vendor lock-in.

Deploying High-Performance Applications Across Global Networks

Quick-what's the fastest, most effective way to deploy a new application across a global network encompassing thousands of desktops? Let the users install it themselves. That's the latest strategy of successful enterprises around the world. They're telling employees to point their Web browsers at the latest and greatest business application-one click and it's downloaded. Nothing could be easier for both users and network administrators.

Of course, global deployment brings up almost as many issues as it solves. The internationalization problem, to begin with. Your platform must span many countries without requiring a separate application for each. Next comes interoperability: what happens to all those employees who must access information from their desktop, laptop, PDA, and cell phone? Compatibility is crucial in a networked environment.

Besides offering you a wide choice of platforms, your enterprise solution must also offer a broad list of vendors-it's no good if you have to buy all your hardware and software from one source. That just sends you back into the dark ages of computing, when everyone was locked into a vendor-specific solution. Today, people need different computers and software for different tasks. They have millions invested in existing data and applications. No one can throw out everything and start over, no matter how great the advantages.

And don't forget security. It's one thing to make everything available to your employees and trusted vendors. It's another to make it so accessible that you can't ensure the integrity of vital corporate data. So any solution must be tried and proven secure before you can take a chance on global deployment. Authentication mechanisms that keep out unauthorized people should be built into the software, not added on later. How can IT managers safely implement high-performance applications across their global networks? In this document, we'll explain how the latest technologies enable the easiest, most secure deployment ever.

Expanding the Enterprise Network

To compete in the dot-com world, today's global 2000 managers must Web-enable their enterprises-and the sooner the better. Executives and employees demand secure, convenient access to data. Not just from their desktop PCs, but also from their laptops, PDAs, even cell phones. Because your workforce isn't confined to the main office anymore, it's all over the map.

Your salespeople spend most of their day in the car, driving from customer appointment to business lunch to off-site staff meeting. Those dedicated employees who used to take a briefcase full of paperwork home with them every night now get most of their work done via e-mail. And what about the executives who fly from one city (or country) to the next? They all need access to up-to-the-minute product information, price lists, and press releases, as well as their own files. The difficulty is, they're using different kinds of computers as well as applications that range from calendars to relational databases.

Capitalize on the Latest Technology

In a Web-enabled enterprise, the network is a means to capitalize on the latest methods of Internet communication, increase efficiency, and unearth new business opportunities. Distributed applications are easier to develop and deploy. Security mechanisms allow authorized access while protecting valuable corporate data from hackers. Enterprise applications are seamlessly integrated, so everything works the way it's supposed to-without keeping your system administrators up all night. Web applications run as fast as regular ones, with no long delays while pages load. To lure more business prospects to their Web sites, new types of applications incorporate the latest in sound, interactivity, and telephony technology. All your applications-from a variety of third-party vendors-are cross-platform, so the people in engineering can easily exchange data with your marketing department. And your investment in legacy information and applications is protected.

Running on Open Standards

Is this all a dream? Not anymore. Today's Web-enabled enterprises are already making it real. They're using software that doesn't lock them into a particular model. What makes this software stand out is how well it fits in-integrating with legacy applications and the current offerings of other vendors, while being incredibly robust and scalable. That's because, on the Net, you never know what software or hardware another company or individual may be using-and you shouldn't have to. The dot-com world runs on open standards. There's simply no other way to do it. Or at least, no other way that makes sense.

How does your enterprise measure up? Have you been able to provide the most up-to-date software applications, cross-platform interoperability, and universal access to data, while keeping costs down? Are your programmers still struggling with performance and compatibility issues?

Out with the Old, In with the New

Under the old rules, you bought boxes of shrink-wrapped software, then began the long process of installing them on every PC and server in your company. Or your programmers wrote a new application, then rewrote it for every platform. Almost as soon as this process was completed, it would be time for the next upgrade. More money, more reconfiguring, more porting, and ongoing compatibility issues.

Under the new rules, software is part of a network service. Leave the installation, maintenance, and complexity to the professionals. And by the way, it's free, as a part of a service. We've seen this happen with e-mail, chat, calendaring, and faxing-basic services that have already moved to the Web. Just a few years ago, you might have purchased software to complete these tasks. Now, you click on AT&T, AOL, Earthlink, or any number of portal sites and get the application as part of the service. And the same Internet distribution is available for supply-chain management, procurement, and complex business software, from companies like Oracle, SAP, and i2.

Make Life Easier for System Administrators

When users can download their own applications, that saves time and money. It also gives system administrators a chance to think about the big picture, instead of just running from PC to PC, reinstalling and rebooting. The Web-enabled enterprise is actually surprisingly easy to administer, since most functions can be performed from a single desktop. Even problems in remote offices can be diagnosed and solved via the network.

Faster Application Performance

Users are screaming for faster and faster performance. It only makes sense: we migrated everyone to the Web, and now they need browser-based applications that run at least as fast as the old ones. It's not enough to make upgrades easier and faster, they want windows that pop up instantly, and data searches that return immediate results. Are these high expectations really so unreasonable?

Give Your Programmers a Break

Nothing is more frustrating than being told to use a different set of tools for each environment. Why can't a programmer create applications that work on any platform with one set of tools-the ones he or she knows best? Another useful feature would be a simple way to remotely debug code and monitor application performance, so bottlenecks can be identified and isolated before the application is deployed across the enterprise. What a productivity boost that would be.

A Safer, More Secure Enterprise

Yesterday's security solutions were afterthoughts. After someone broke into the Web server and erased all the data, a firewall appeared. That protected your data all right-so well that even authorized employees couldn't get to it. Instead, why not try using a single security model that spans operating systems, networks, and applications? One that gives you integrated, fine-grained control over virtually every aspect of your enterprise, from the smallest applet to the largest application, and all the data in between.

Use the Power of the Network

A few years ago, a fundamentally new way of computing emerged. It is based on the power of networks and the idea that the same software should run on many different kinds of computers, consumer gadgets, and other devices. With this technology, computers and devices communicate with one another much more easily than ever before. It's called the Java platform.

Web-Enable Your Enterprise

The Java^TM 2 platform is here, offering the first end-to-end manifestation of the promise of Java computing, "Write Once, Run Anywhere.^TM" It's everywhere the enterprise was yesterday. And precisely where it will be tomorrow.

So far, we've been talking about what you need to securely extend your enterprise while enjoying platform independence and exceptional security. And there is a solution that will enable you to do all this: Sun's Java platform. Using the Java language, all kinds of systems can talk to each other, from smart cards to supercomputers, regardless of the underlying hardware or system software. What does this mean for your enterprise? The Java platform enables you to share important resources with customers, suppliers, and partners-anyone who interacts with your company-forging closer business relationships and ultimately increasing revenues. For example, large companies use Java technology to monitor transactions and tie together data from existing computer systems. Other organizations are using Java software on their internal Web sites to streamline communication and the flow of information between departments, suppliers, and customers.

Resolve Your Differences

Perhaps the most visible examples of Java software today are on the Internet and enterprise networks. They're nimble, interactive programs called applets that work inside Web browsers. Other types of Java software run directly on your computer, server, mainframe, and other devices without the aid of a browser. Originally created to resolve platform differences on client devices, Java technology quickly became a solution to the even more complex platform differences between servers. That made the types of robust features associated with server-side enterprise applications, such as high-performance database access and other midtier services, into necessities. Simple low-performance GUI objects no longer suffice; enterprise developers need more sophisticated objects linked to databases.

Java: The Universal Language

The Java platform delivers all this, and more. You can develop your applications on a single platform and distribute them to heterogeneous systems across your enterprise. Centralized administration means that installations, upgrades, maintenance, and troubleshooting can be performed from a single desktop, saving time and money. And by leveraging existing technology to expand your infrastructure, the Java platform protects your investment. The fact that the Java language is one of the most popular commercial, object-oriented languages has encouraged hundreds of software vendors, thousands of companies, and millions of software developers to adopt Java technology.

Given Java technology's platform independent nature, it's natural to apply it to specialty computer devices like set-top boxes, smart cards, and cell phones. However, Java technology has made a strong impact in large enterprises, because they contain a wide range of computing resources. Figuring out how to pull together and leverage these rich but disparate systems is a major challenge. Java technology enables these enterprises to finally integrate heterogeneous resources, forming a common architecture without ripping out the old plumbing.

Enter the Java^TM 2 Platform, Standard Edition (J2SE^TM)

The foundation of Sun's Java technology-based products, the Java^TM 2 Platform, Standard Edition (J2SE) includes the key building blocks for writing sophisticated solutions using the Java language. J2SE software provides a complete, stable, and secure basis for building and deploying network-centric enterprise applications that run on systems ranging from desktop PCs to workgroup servers. It consists of the Java 2 SDK, Standard Edition, and the Java 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition (JRE). Together, they deliver what you need to Web-enable your enterprise: easier Web development and deployment, enterprise interoperability, security advancements, faster performance, and more.

Delivering a Complete Solution

Platform independence is accomplished by wrapping each platform's unique characteristics into the JRE. The programmer writes Java code for just one type of platform, then a Java compiler converts the code into byte code that will execute on any platform-specific JRE. Within the JRE, a Java virtual machine works with the operating system to execute the byte code. This frees the programmer to concentrate on building application GUI and logic, and makes it simple to deploy the Java language application on more than one platform within the enterprise.

In addition, J2SE software comes with Java tools such as a compiler, debugger, and more, along with a rich set of Java libraries and foundation classes for designing GUIs, implementing security, building multilanguage applications, accessing databases, and networking. In other words, J2SE is a complete solution.

Winning the Network Race

J2SE is fast-the fastest release of the Java platform to date. The secret of its blazing speed is Java HotSpot technology, which set the Java community on fire by breaking Java performance records and is now a standard part of the Java 2 platform. To give you an idea just how fast it is, J2SE startup time is 40 percent quicker, and typical Java technology-based applications use 25 percent less memory. Optimized code compiling, improved memory allocation and garbage collection, and thread synchronization also help in delivering improved performance. These new J2SE features make deploying Java applets and applications easier and faster than ever, enabling deployment of business-size applications over the network to large client bases.

Applets at the Ready

With applet caching, the system keeps local copies of often-used applets available for rapid loading and fast startup, so the browser doesn't have to download the applet over the Web every time it is needed. This feature is especially valuable for large, high-use business applications in the megabyte size range. When the download time is eliminated, enterprises can use a larger array of more powerful applets.

Across the Board Interoperability

Preserving access to legacy applications and environments is critical for corporate IT departments. By connecting with existing databases and directory services, as well as supporting native APIs and classes, distributed applications written for the Java platform can seamlessly interoperate with productivity applications and legacy systems. Text, graphics, and software components can be moved between Java technology-based and native platform applications with drag-and-drop ease. Completely independent of the host operating system, Swing portable GUIs ensure a graphically rich user experience.

Less Pressure, More Productivity

J2SE software takes the pressure off heterogeneous development teams by enabling them to build mutually integrated systems using the hardware and software platform of their choice-the Solaris Operating Environment, UNIX®, Linux, Microsoft Windows, Intel, OS/2, and Macintosh. J2SE software simplifies the process of wiring programs into most relational database systems and integrating SQL access into object-oriented Java language systems, as well. The J2SE solution is a feature-complete, API-rich development platform, with everything you need to Web-enable your business. For specialized markets, it can be extended via Java optional packages, such as the Java API for XML parsing (JAXP), Java 3D , and Java Media Framework. The JavaBeans architecture makes it easy to combine custom-developed and third-party components when creating anything from database charting tools to currency exchange services.

Easy Listening

A powerful new sound API enables applications for conferencing and content delivery systems ranging from simple desktop media players to streaming video and music delivery systems as well as live-broadcast audio. J2SE software also supports interactive applications, such as Web sites that generate sound dynamically in response to the user, with tools and toolkits for creating and editing original audio or musical content.

Security Hits the Big Leagues

J2SE software moves security out of the sand box and into the big leagues, with an enterprise-class, tiered security system that greatly increases the ease of Web-based deployment. All code-remote or local-is scrutinized by a breakthrough security model that scales user, group, and system rights down to the distributed object model. So you get more ways than ever to protect your data.

Circling the Globe

J2SE supports languages that use complex character-based fonts, such a Chinese and Kanji, as well as bidirectional languages including Arabic and Hebrew. It delivers numerous internationalization features that offer sustantial benefits for worldwide enterprises.

Bring Your Enterprise into the Network Age

Unleash the power of the Java language

The Web has revolutionized the way business works, and Sun's Java technology has revolutionized the enterprise. Today, the Java platform is the industry's premier platform-independent development and deployment environment, enabling applications that run consistently across a myriad of systems-on the Web and in your enterprise.

With the Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition, it's easier than ever to build feature-rich applications for virtually any computing platform, from smart cards to laptops, PCs to enterprise servers. Its fast performance and widespread industry support make J2SE software the premier solution for enterprise applications. Today and in the future.