Saudi Arabian National Guard Health Affairs goes live with largest-ever Sun Microsystems EMEA desktop deal

SANG-HA has deployed 1,500 SunRay thin client desktop systems, in addition to purchasing 4,000 StarOffice licenses, in order to refresh its IT technology strategy.

The Arabic-enabled nature of Sun's StarOffice productivity suite, as well as the significantly more affordable investment level for the Sun desktop solution, were cited as the major causes for the switch.

"SANG-HA's hospitals and health utilities are among the best in the region. SANG-HA has adopted a strategic IT plan, which will contribute to the development of health services provided to the patients. Infrastructure development is a major focus area for us, and the ability to use Sun's Arabic-enabled StarOffice suite and lower operational costs at the same time is making a major impact on SANG-HA's bottom line," said Dr Majid Al Tuwaijri, executive director for information systems and informatics, SANG-HA.

The switch to a comprehensive Sun desktop solution complements SANG-HA's existing deployment of Sun mid- and enterprise-level servers, including more than 40 workgroup servers, and a Sun StorEdge enterprise data management solution.

SANG-HA's move to Sun-based desktop solutions recognizes the stability and ease of administration that SunRay and StarOffice together offer customers, at a cost of ownership up to 70 percent less than similar alternative offerings.

Riyadh-based Sun iForce partner Jeraisy Computer & Communication Systems has implemented the new desktop environment for SANG-HA. The Sun solution is being deployed in sites such as the King Fahd hospital in Riyadh, King Khalid hospital in Jeddah, and new King Abdul Aziz healthcare facilities being completed in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia. Sun's partner Citrix has also been involved in the project.

"With increasing investments in clinics, nursing, and research facilities, SANG-HA's decision to reduce costs and complexity through it SunRay desktops and StarOffice licenses means that more funding is available for increased levels of patient care," said Ahmed Farrag, Sun Microsystems MENA's country manager for Saudi Arabia.

"This is the most significant order for SunRay and StarOffice in the entire EMEA region and illustrates the foresight of the Saudi Arabian government in leveraging its IT investment. The Middle East is among the markets leading the way in StarOffice and SunRay adoption globally," Farrag concluded.