https://www.channelfutures.com/wp-content/themes/channelfutures_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • Analytics
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud
    • Data Centers
    • Desktop
    • IoT
    • Mobility
    • Networking
    • Open Source
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Virtualization
    • Voice/Connectivity
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Best Practices
    • Business Models
    • Channel 101
    • Channel Programs
    • Channel Research
    • Digital Transformation
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Leadership
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Specialty Practices
  • MSSP Insider
    • Back
    • Business of Security
    • Cloud and Edge
    • Endpoint
    • Network
    • People and Careers
    • Training and Policies
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • 2020 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2020 Hot 101 Rankings
    • 2020 MSP 501 Report
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Our Sponsors
    • From the Industry
    • Content Resources
    • COVID-19 Partner Help
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • Reports
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • EMEA
  • Awards
    • Back
    • Excellence in Digital Services
    • 2020 MSP 501
    • Top Gun 51
  • Events
    • Back
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • Channel Partners Evolution
    • Channel Evolution Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
  • Channel Mentor
    • Back
    • Channel Market Intelligence
    • Channel Educational Series
Channel Futures
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • Analytics
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud
    • Data Centers
    • Desktop
    • IoT
    • Mobility
    • Networking
    • Open Source
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Virtualization
    • Voice/Connectivity
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Best Practices
    • Business Models
    • Channel 101
    • Channel Programs
    • Channel Research
    • Digital Transformation
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Leadership
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Specialty Practices
  • MSSP Insider
    • Back
    • Business of Security
    • Cloud and Edge
    • Endpoint
    • Network
    • People and Careers
    • Training and Policies
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • 2020 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2020 Hot 101 Rankings
    • 2020 MSP 501 Report
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Our Sponsors
    • From the Industry
    • Content Resources
    • COVID-19 Partner Help
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • Reports
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • EMEA
  • Awards
    • Back
    • Excellence in Digital Services
    • 2020 MSP 501
    • Top Gun 51
  • Events
    • Back
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • Channel Partners Evolution
    • Channel Evolution Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
  • Channel Mentor
    • Back
    • Channel Market Intelligence
    • Channel Educational Series
    • Newsletter
  • REGISTER
  • MSPs
  • VARs / SIs
  • Digital Service Providers
  • Cloud Service Providers
  • CHANNEL PARTNERS ONLINE
 Channel Futures

Open Source


Ubuntu Server Edition: Gaining Momentum?

  • Written by The VAR Guy 1
  • August 27, 2008

The next time somebody tells you Ubuntu Linux is just for the desktop, check out Egressive Limited, a solutions provider in New Zealand that’s gaining traction in the Ubuntu Server market. In fact, all of Egressive’s support customers now have Ubuntu servers at the center of their networks, and Egressive uses Ubuntu exclusively as the company’s hosting system. Is this part of a bigger “hidden” trend? The VAR Guy sure seems to think so. Here’s why.

Consider the situation for Dave Lane, one of the key executives at Egressive. As a true believer in Canonical’s business strategy, Lane says Egressive uses Ubuntu for:

  • Business servers the company installs and supports for business customers
  • Egressive’s own desktop and laptop machines; the company’s development team specializes in Drupal implementation
  • A “reasonably extensive” Web hosting infrastructure (primarily LAMP), based both in New Zealand and on virtual machines in the United States.
  • An array of virtual machines (all built on Ubuntu hypervisors as well) using Xen, KVM/QEMU/libvirt, and VirtualBox in various desktop development, business failover, and and hosting contexts

Still, The VAR Guy knows Red Hat and Novell largely dominate the Linux business market. And it’s hard to find Ubuntu-focused companies like Egressive. Alas, the mainstream media often writes “Linux” without crediting “Ubuntu” in stories about recent business deployments. And Canonical’s own partner network — ranging from VARs to integrators to service providers and distributors — remains in its infancy. Chances are, there are hundreds of Ubuntu VARs — and thousands of Ubuntu deployments — across the globe that aren’t yet on Canonical’s radar.

Homework for Ubuntu Users

Is there a way to find and recognize Ubuntu deployments across the globe? Actually, there is. If you know of an organization running Ubuntu, then fill out this quick online survey — which The VAR Guy himself helped to craft. The information you share will help to build the Works With U 1,000 — a global list of organizations and businesses running Ubuntu. Works With U, the independent guide to Ubuntu Linux, is one of The VAR Guy’s sister sites.

Tags: Cloud Service Providers Digital Service Providers MSPs VARs/SIs Mobility Open Source

Related


  • cloud data
    Your Cloud Data Is Protected, But Is It Portable?
    Why flexibility and containerization are the new must-haves for cloud data.
  • HP Elite Dragonfly G2
    HP Refreshes Commercial Line with 2nd Gen Elite Dragonfly Laptops
    After delaying the 5G option last year, it will be available in several new models.
  • Spinoff Company
    IBM Names CEO of New Managed Services Spinoff
    The former IBM CFO is well-known to those within NewCo.
  • Channel Partners Virtual Banner Header CF
    Don't Wait for Fall's 'Homecoming' Channel Event — CP Virtual 2021 Is Coming Soon
    Content for Channel Partners Virtual doesn't take a backseat to what you get at our live events.

7 comments

  1. Avatar Scott Dowdle August 28, 2008 @ 5:30 pm
    Reply

    Ubuntu / Canonical has a business plan? What would that be? So far as I know, they are a charity. 🙂

    Unless Canonical is making money from these business deployments you mention, it really doesn’t help them… just as massive free desktop deployments don’t directly help them either… unless they have paying support customers.

    I would imagine there are a lot of business deployments using Ubuntu Server for free… but then they wouldn’t really be competing with Red Hat and Novell. They’d be competing with Debian, Fedora, CentOS, and openSUSE… and all the other free distributions.

    CentOS has a few million deployments (as I understand it, I don’t have any data to prove that just as it is hard to prove the Ubuntu deployments) but Red Hat and Novell have no trouble calculating their paying customers. If Canonical is really making it with their business plan, then they should have some numbers to report.

    varguy, why don’t you investigate that and then you’ll have some real comparison data… and won’t have to guess?

  2. Avatar The VAR Guy August 28, 2008 @ 5:36 pm
    Reply

    @Scott: Ouch. That last line was a pretty strong parting shot at The VAR Guy. But The VAR Guy respects your points. In fact, he agrees: More folks (including The VAR Guy) have to investigate Canonical’s financial stability and strategy, and it has to involve more than Mark Shuttleworth’s bank account balance.

    Oh, but one more thing: Be sure to check out the Works With U 1000, a fast-growing list of businesses and organizations running Ubuntu desktops and servers. Over time, the list (and its members) should reveal how Ubuntu is performing as a business platform.

    The VAR Guy will now step off of his soap box, and return to sipping his latte. (Grande, of course.)

  3. Avatar Lawrence D'Oliveiro August 29, 2008 @ 3:24 am
    Reply

    Just a note that, while the Ubuntu Foundation may be nonprofit, Canonical is a business intended to make a profit.

    Shame to see these guys be so centred around PHP. Most of the experiences I’ve been having with PHP and the type of people who use it just leave a sour stink…

  4. Avatar The VAR Guy August 29, 2008 @ 4:09 am
    Reply

    @Lawrence: Sure, Canonical “is a business intended to make a profit.” So are dozens of other open source firms that haven’t cracked the code for profits yet. The VAR Guy is hopeful Canonical will succeed, but needs to do some dumpster diving before he can make informed statements about Canonical’s finances.

  5. Avatar Dave Lane August 29, 2008 @ 8:15 pm
    Reply

    @Lawrence, not sure what you mean about “these guys be so centred around PHP”… Are “these guys” Canonical or Egressive?

    I’m not sure I understand the stigma of PHP you’re implying… I can think of quite a few of the biggest virtual edifices on the ‘net that are built with PHP, and it’s not because the authors didn’t have other choices (I’m thinking Yahoo, Facebook, the mountain of major sites built on Drupal, Cake, Symphony, even Joomla)… I think PHP is a very valid tool when used by those aware and mindful of its limitations (as with any other tool). At least it’s open source.

    On what technology would you rather that “these guys” be centred? Any software business needs to select a small number of technologies on which to focus its energies – doing otherwise spreads things too thin and creates unacceptable costs/risk because a reputable business must maintain ongoing skills in every technology it has ever used commercially.

    Regards,

    Dave Lane

  6. Avatar Chris September 2, 2008 @ 1:15 am
    Reply

    I like lattes too, but recently I’ve had a desire to down the new Orange Mango Banana Vivanno. October is coming up so the Pumpkin Spice latte is back!!! Nothing like monitoring servers, creating accounts, setting up VMs from the comfort of a local Starbucks. Oh and Ubuntu rocks, but I’m committed to Fedora.

  7. Avatar rotyyu October 6, 2008 @ 9:24 am
    Reply

    it’ll be great to see Ubuntu in server competition with another enterprise distro…

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your Channel Futures account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Selling & Marketing UCaaS for MSP's Best Practices for Service Providers
  • How SpectrumVoIP added 48,000 Unified Communications Customers in 2 Short Years
  • Why Service Providers are Shifting Away from Paying Their Vendors by the Seat
  • Tactics for Selling SaaS Backup

Galleries

View all

New, Changing Partner Programs: AWS, Tech Data, Avaya, Verizon

January 11, 2021

Industry Perspectives

View all

Help Your Customers Mitigate Malware: Viruses, Worms, and Trojans…Oh My!

January 15, 2021

SMBs’ Cybersecurity Risk Awareness Is Rising

January 13, 2021

Your Cloud Data Is Protected, But Is It Portable?

January 12, 2021

Webinars

View all

Blueprint for a Scalable MSSP Practice in 2021

January 21, 2021

Who’s Behind the Mask? Hacker Personas Explained

January 26, 2021

How Managed Hosting Providers Thrive with the Alternative Cloud

February 24, 2021

White Papers

View all

Why Subscription Business Model

January 15, 2021

The Ultimate MSP Guide to Sales Efficiency

January 14, 2021

Eight Reasons Why MSPs Need IT Industry-Specific Sales Tools

January 14, 2021

Upcoming Events

View all

Channel Partners Virtual

March 2, 2021 - March 4, 2021

Channel Partners Conference & Expo

November 1, 2021 - November 4, 2021

Videos and Fastchats

View all

FASTCHAT: How SOAR Eliminates Security Challenges and Elevates Service Provider Revenues

January 6, 2021

Happy Holidays from Channel Partners & Channel Futures!

December 21, 2020

FASTCHAT: How Old, Unpatched Technologies Are Creating New Security Threats for MSPs and Their Customers

December 3, 2020

Twitter

ChannelFutures

.@StratusAwaysOn announces new #partnerprogram for VARs. #edgecomputing dlvr.it/Rqvrxf https://t.co/vcLw8e4Ob6

January 19, 2021
ChannelFutures

bit.ly/3bSd4nD twitter.com/DigiRobot/stat…

January 19, 2021
ChannelFutures

In the latest 'It's 501 Somewhere', @channelsmart (Janet Schijns) talks about what it takes to be a true leader.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

January 18, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@IBMServices snaps up #MSP Taos for #hybridcloud expertise. dlvr.it/RqggQR https://t.co/Fy3uPDtLNw

January 16, 2021
ChannelFutures

.@LenovoBusiness launches its thinnest #ThinkPad to date @CES, revamped ThinkBooks and #ThinkReality glasses.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

January 16, 2021
ChannelFutures

Help your customers mitigate #malware @Tech_Data #cryptolocker #antivirus #ransomware #cybersecurity… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

January 15, 2021
ChannelFutures

Advantages of the Subscription business model for MSPs and IT Resellers @kaspersky dlvr.it/RqgDJn https://t.co/ay694fudp3

January 15, 2021
ChannelFutures

Cloud #distributor @Pax8 launches in UK with leadership team in place. dlvr.it/RqfJWx https://t.co/RsKDCowM5V

January 15, 2021

MSSP Insider

Newsletters and Updates

Sign up for The Channel Report, Channel Futures Update, MSP 501 Newsletter and more.

Live Channel Events

Get the latest information on the next industry-leading Channel Partners event.

Channel Partners Online

Want more? Find more channel news and analysis on our sister site, Channel Partners.

Media Kit And Advertising

Want to reach our audience? Access our media kit

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • Channel Partners Online
  • Channel Partners Events
  • MSP 501
  • MSSP Insider
  • IoT World Today
  • Webhostingtalk

WORKING WITH US

  • Contact
  • About us
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter

FOLLOW Channel Futures ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2021 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X