Ubuntu private clouds need more than tools; they need support, too
Canonical, the London company that founded the Ubuntu Project, today announced professional services to support companies who are building "private cloud" infrastructures behind their corporate firewalls.
Earlier this year, the company released a technical preview of Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud (UEC), an open-source system that allows companies to build private clouds that match the Amazon EC2 interface.
But the tools to build an open-source cloud behind the wall aren't enough. Customers also need support. In a statement, Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth said:
Enterprises are realising that building 'private clouds' enables them to better manage variable workloads, while reducing the waste of idle servers. Building on open-source technology also avoids the issue of vendor lock-in. Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud enables businesses to do this - and the addition of these services helps them to do it with confidence.
Canonical is partnering with Eucalyptus to provide the support services, but through Canonical's support team and interface.
Also see: Dana Blankenhorn: Will Ubuntu remain a minor player