Offer low cost hosting services for startups and independent software vendors.

DataPipe, a provider of managed IT services, today announced that it is collaborating with Sun Microsystems to provide startup companies with an opportunity for competitively priced, high-performance managed hosting services.

The company states that through the Sun Startup EssentialsSM program, it will offer low-cost services to startup companies, enabling them to reach their target market and accelerate the growth of their business. It says that Sun's platform of products integrates seamlessly with its hosting and managed services, giving eligible companies an opportunity to compete with larger organizations at an affordable cost.

The company claims that it will provide members with web hosting infrastructure and services housed in its data center facilities and backed by quality support. It avers that startup companies will find value and reliability through its experience in utilizing a range of Sun products, including the Solaris 10 operating system, Sun servers and Sun storage.

It articulates that its program is designed for existing software companies and consists of hardware, software, managed hosting services, security, reporting and patching at no cost for a period of up to 90 days for those companies who have signed an approved ISV Sandbox agreement. The program also includes a 99.5% Service Level Agreement on the testing and development infrastructure, it says.

"We directly service both Silicon Valley and Silicon Alley," said Robb Allen, DataPipe's CEO. "This is a natural fit for us. Providing entrepreneurs with access to high value managed services will enable them to fast track their success," he added.

"Sun is excited to work with DataPipe to bring access to their world-class data centers and services in managing webscale infrastructure to next generation startups and web 2.0 companies." said Juan Carlos Soto, vice president of Global Market Development and Engineering at Sun Microsystems. "The Sun Startup Essentials program and our relationship with companies such as DataPipe gives startups access to vast technological and business expertise at a fraction of the cost required for such products and services."