| Is Ubuntu enterprise ready? |
Apr. 25, 2007
Anyone who follows Linux at all knows that Ubuntu is currently the Linux community's favorite distribution. But can Canonical Ltd., the company behind Ubuntu, translate that popular success into business success?
Certainly, under the leadership of Mark Shuttleworth, Canonical is trying to do just that. While Ubuntu will always be a free distribution, Canonical has been putting together the alliances it needs with IHVs (independent hardware vendors) and ISVs (independent software vendors) to move into corporate offices.
Today, for example, Canonical business users can use such business mainstays as SugarCRM; IBM's DB2 database; VMware's VMI and Para-Ops; and Sun's open-source JEE (Java Enterprise Edition) 5 GlassFish application server, the Java SE Development Kit 6, Java DB 10.2, the Sun-supported version of the Apache Derby relational database manager, and the NetBeans IDE (integrated development environment) 5.5.
The company has also been working hard on its computer relationships. It already has a strong partnership with Sun, and it seems to be well on its way to being one of the first Linuxes to appear preinstalled on Dell's desktops and laptops.
In addition, Canonical has been expanding its support operations. The company already has a basic certification for administrators, which is derived from the Linux Professional Institute, LPIC-1: the Ubuntu Certified Professional. Canonical is also close to announcing Ubuntu training programs and a new, higher-level certification. This new certification is meant to be the equivalent of an RHCE (Red Hat Certified Engineer) or MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer).
Will all of this be enough to make Ubuntu a competitor to the likes of RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux) and Novell's SLES (SUSE Linux Enterprise Server) in business?
According to George Weiss, a Gartner vice president and distinguished analyst, and Thomas Skybakmoen, a Gartner analyst, in a recent report, Determining Whether Ubuntu Linux Is Right for You, "With support offered by Canonical, IT organizations that want to deploy Linux on servers without paying a subscription license fee for every server will be able to mix and match non-subscription-based Linux with enterprise-licensed support, unlike Red Hat and other Linux distributor models."
The Gartner analysts see Canonical executing "a disruptive business model against traditional Linux vendors, such as Red Hat and Novell. However, server success in the next 24 months will be primarily in such markets as education [Edubuntu], service providers, massive Web farms and developers."
Because "Ubuntu/Canonical does not impose a restriction on deploying a Linux enterprise subscription on every server, it enables users to add support as needed without revamping the Linux infrastructure, providing a smoother transition from a free-of-charge to a supported environment." By thus providing a free and easy way to introduce Linux into businesses, they believe "Ubuntu will make a play to compete for enterprise Linux server business against Red Hat, Novell and Oracle."
This won't be happening overnight. The Gartner analysts do not see Ubuntu achieving "fast rates of commercial success, but it could disrupt escalating high-volume contracts, particularly to Red Hat." Eventually, the analysts believe "Canonical will gradually establish Ubuntu as the low-maintenance/low-cost preference in enterprise low-function/high-volume servers, where functional stability is preset and life cycle maintenance is minimal."
To pull this off, "Canonical/Ubuntu must attract key ISVs … and IHVs, such as IBM and HP, to break through the old 'chicken or the egg' marketing dilemma."
For the business world, Ubuntu also has the problem of lacking the "update services, management, provisioning and monitoring through a Web-based interface," which enables administrators to manage "an entire Linux infrastructure, featuring role-based groupings, administration for policies and permissions, and scheduled actions."
Even without the equivalent of Red Hat's RHN (Red Hat Network) or Novell's ZENworks system management programs, thanks to Debian's thousands of software packages and the other factors in Ubuntu's favor, the analysts see Ubuntu finding "enterprise acceptance in basic IT infrastructures where organizations already have the minimal prerequisite skills of administering and maintaining Linux and want to exercise independence from forced subscriptions when service levels are unimportant."
It may not be where Canonical would like Ubuntu to be, but if the analysts are correct, it's still a solid first step into the enterprise.
-- Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols
Do you have comments on this story?
Talkback here
NOTE: Please post your comments regarding our articles using the above link. Be sure to use this article's title as the "Subject" in your posts. Before you create a new thread, please check to see if a discussion thread is already running on the article you plan to comment on. Thanks!
(Click here for further information)
|
|
|
7 Advantages of D2D Backup
For decades, tape has been the backup medium of choice. But, now, disk-to-disk (D2D) backup is gaining in favor. Learn why you should make the move in this whitepaper.
4 Legal Reasons to Control Internet Access
The Internet is obviously a valuable resource for many organizations. However, many are exposed to legal liability concerns because they fail to control Internet access. Learn if you're safe in this white paper.
Rapidly Resolve J2EE Application Problems
Whether you are in the process of building J2EE applications or have J2EE applications already running in production, you must ensure that they deliver the expected ROI. Learn how in this white paper.
Load Testing 2.0 for Web 2.0
There are many unknowns in stress testing Web 2.0 applications. Find out how to test the performance of Web 2.0 in this white paper.
Build Better Games Online
For the game infrastructure providers, life is complex. Making money from games has become more complicated. Why? Find out in this white paper.
Building a Virtual Infrastructure from Servers to Storage
This white paper discusses the virtual storage solutions that reduce cost, increase storage utilization, and address the challenges of backing up and restoring Server environments.
Gaining Faster Wireless Connections with WiMAX
Welcome to what is quickly becoming the hyperconnected world where anything that would benefit from being connected to the network will be connected. Learn more in this white paper.
Is Your Desktop a Security Threat?
The new wave of sophisticated crimeware not only targets specific companies, but also targets desktops and laptops as backdoor entryways into those business’ operations and resources. Learn how to stay safe in this white paper.
Increasing SAN Reliability by 100 Percent
Storage area networks (SAN) are a strong part of storage plans. Learn how to increase your reliability and uptime by 100 percent in this case study.
|
|
|
|
|
news feed