Canonical Releases Ubuntu Server 9.1, Brings Private Clouds To Enterprises

Canonical has released Ubuntu 9.1 Server Edition, which includes the Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud (UEC), putting cloud computing within the hands of enterprise customers with a simpler, faster way to create a private cloud within the enterprise. Private clouds are, arguably, more attractive to enterprise customers because they allow more control over the security and privacy of data when it is held within the enterprise, as opposed to pushed to a public cloud.

The Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud (UEC) is powered by Eucalyptus Systems' open source software for creating private clouds and based on the same APIs as Amazon EC2. Accordingly, "having the same images available on UEC or on Amazon's public cloud means that work done can be deployed in either environment which improves portability and flexibility for users". The bottom line is that it gives developers flexibility in the creation, deployment and management of cloud computing environments for the enterprise. While the new solution puts private clouds closer to reality for such customers, it also opens the door to a hybrid approach where a public cloud could be accessed in order to handle spikes in demand.

Canonical is the commercial sponsor behind Ubuntu, a popular and well-regarded open source distribution of Linux.