If you have been following the continuing saga of Sun Microsystems’s attempt to return to profitability then you will not be shocked to find out that they have hatched a new plan for restructuring that will see about 18 percent of the global Sun workforce unemployed.

If Sun is going to make it they need to get back into the black. This has been a tall order for the company, as they have transitioned into a diversification effort to open new windows of opportunity for the company moving forward. Of course, this has not been without problems and the latest move to cut staff spells some of the most drastic action that Sun has taken to get back onto the road of profitability.

The layoffs by the company will result in an estimated 6,000 employees getting the axe. This is between 15 to 18 percent of the company’s workforce, depending on whose figures you listen to. A variety of executives will be among those let go and include Executive Vice President of Software, Rich Green. While the cost of the layoffs will result in some up front cost, the company expects to realize some solid cost savings starting in the 3rd quarter of its current fiscal year.

Sun will be making some changes to the software organization with a focus on the Cloud Computing wave that many companies are banking on for the future. Sun is in a better position than any IT company, and according to various sources, if the company had a great deal of cash on hand it might be better positioned than many IT companies to survive a difficult economy.