MCLEAN, Va. -- BearingPoint, Inc., one of the world's largest business consulting and systems integration firm, announced today that the company received accreditation in the Sun Microsystems' iForce(SM) Storage Elite Program, which certifies key iForce(SM) partners as qualified in Sun storage hardware and software consulting integration. BearingPoint is the first systems integrator to achieve this certification. This comprehensive accreditation enables BearingPoint to provide clients with Sun storage management software architecture and services that can help lower the total cost of storage, which is a major customer requirement in today's competitive marketplace. This accreditation builds on the Global Solutions Alliance the two companies announced in April 2002 to create a global Sun storage practice within BearingPoint to deliver vertical solutions based on Sun StorEdge Complete Storage Solutions, and to deliver a portfolio of solutions that can help clients shorten implementation schedules, cut costs and minimize the risk of deploying enterprise applications. "BearingPoint's commitment to Sun's iForce(SM) Storage Elite Program provides a unique opportunity to offer clients solutions that couple high performance computing with advanced data storage products," said Doug White, managing director, Services Solutions Group, BearingPoint. "We congratulate BearingPoint on its new status as an iForce(SM) Storage Elite Partner. BearingPoint now provides customers with some of the best storage-qualified consultants in the industry," said Bill Cook, vice president, Global Sales Operation, Sun Microsystems.