Download it today and discover how Ubuntu can help you successfully cope with:

• The acceleration of everything
• Switching between clouds
• Unsustainable power consumption
• The hidden costs of virtual image sprawl
• (More) global economic turmoil
• Ops and dev teams working closer together

Just hit the button below to find out what’s round the corner. ]]> http://blog.canonical.com/2012/02/21/enterprise-cloud-strategy-six-near-future-scenarios-you-need-to-consider-today/feed/ 0 http://blog.canonical.com/2012/02/14/ubuntu-server-survey-2012/ http://blog.canonical.com/2012/02/14/ubuntu-server-survey-2012/#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:18:12 +0000 Gerry Carr http://blog.canonical.com/?p=1242 The Ubuntu Server Survey is finally ready to be published it makes for a fascinating read. It is the third survey of its kind and again it has been an overwhelming response with over 6,000 completed surveys throughout 2011 and a heartfelt thanks to all who took the time to complete the comprehensive survey.

The overwhelming impression is the widespread use of Ubuntu both geographically as you might expect with respondents from across the globe. but also in the broad range of workloads in which Ubuntu Server finds itself used. Every category from web and data servers to cloud shows up strongly albeit with a strong bias towards traditional workloads.

As we approach an LTS, again we see evidence of the popularity of the extended support releases. Given we have run this survey three times now over the past three years now we begin to see strong evidence of the switching from one LTS to the next, particularly as the deployment platform, so our user base is certainly staying with us as as we introduce new features and support them in the long term.

Virtualization and cloud are now key elements of Ubuntu use, and for the first time we see KVM overtake Xen as the preferred virtualization technology for Ubuntu users, significant as the platform was the first to make the switch to supporting KVM as the native technology. With that though, VMWare remains the most cited virtualization technology showing a healthy mixture of open source and other technologies at use in the Ubuntu user base.

The respondents consideration of cloud makes for interesting reading too. There is significant interest but the use of Ubuntu Server on bare metal remains the primary use case for most users today. There is strong recognition though of the emergence of this powerful technology and with the plans for ease of installation and orchestration in 12.04 LTS it will be interesting to see how this moves the dial in regards to uptake in the Ubuntu base. A deeper analysis  shows a bias towards larger companies (i.e. respondents with more servers) using cloud technologies which is to be expected and overwhelmingly there is recognition of the suitability of Ubuntu Cloud as a basis for those efforts.

Enjoy the full report, it would be very interesting to hear your comments.

In the past year, many businesses have adopted Ubuntu as a desktop. With the approach of Ubuntu 12.04 LTS and its five years of support on server and desktop, even more are evaluating the potential benefits of an easily deployed and managed, virus-resistant platform that is widely trusted and available pre-installed from leading PC brands like Dell and Lenovo.

This remix simplifies the process of customising Ubuntu for corporate needs. Most businesses deploying Ubuntu on corporate desktops perform a similar set of tasks; removing consumer-focused applications like games, and installing corporate-focused software such as thin client apps. The Ubuntu Business Desktop Remix is a simple base image with the most common corporate changes pre-configured. It can be deployed into a corporate environment or used as a starting point for further customization.

The Ubuntu Business Desktop Remix contains all the software needed to integrate into your IT infrastructure while removing games, social networking and file sharing applications, development and sysadmin tools, and other software that organizations don’t commonly support. The first release includes VMware View, Adobe Flash Plugin, and OpenJDK 6 Java runtime environment.

If this makes sense for your business you can register to download Ubuntu Business Desktop Remix and start evaluating what Ubuntu and Canonical can do for your organisation.

As part of the Certification website, we provide a feedback mechanism through Launchpad Answers. Over the last year, we have seen a trend of questions around:

• Most models are sold with different graphics cards , processors… so which one is the one listed as certified?
• Does the system listed as certified works with a version of Ubuntu that I can download from Ubuntu.com? Or only with the one that the manufacturer sales?
• What release is this model certified for?

To address these questions, we have introduced some changes to the website. We now display what components are included on the certified system in the search results. We’ve also added a icon to indicate if the system is only certified with a vendor image or with the standard Ubuntu image.

The new and simpler search interface eliminates confusion on what data is presented. A small filter box has been added to the website allowing  users to select the device type, Ubuntu release and image type that they are interested in.

If you have any comments on the new website design, I would really like to hear from you!

It is almost the end of day two and there have been over 5,000 visitors to the Ubuntu booth in South Hall 4 (stand 35379). In fact, people have been so impressed, that all the Ubuntu 11.10 CDs and printed Ubuntu TV collateral have run out. We have also given many interviews to the world’s media and have already seen some great coverage, which as many regulars to Ubuntu will appreciate, will help serve to introduce Ubuntu to many new potential users.

Ubuntu rocks!

Ubuntu TV showcased at CES

To give the world a full picture of what we will be demonstrating, we are launching today a dedicated area on the Ubuntu website featuring demos and a world of information on what we have planned in this space. You can see it all now at ubuntu.com/tv

Look out for a series of posts from my colleagues at CES looking at other products we are demonstrating at CES, and the buzz from the showroom floor.

Gerry

On display will be the latest in Desktop, Cloud and demonstrations on Ubuntu One, plus an exclusive Ubuntu concept design which will be announced during the show.

Find out more by coming to visit us at CES and see why Ubuntu is the primary computing environment on millions of desktops around the world and used by thousands of businesses. You can also discover how Canonical supports a rapidly increasing number of manufacturers pre-installing Ubuntu on their hardware.

To set up a meeting at the show and discuss Ubuntu, now the world’s third largest Desktop Operating System, email sales@canonical.com.

New devices are proliferating across all industries, with the Education sector being particularly strong. Ubuntu is the natural choice within Education for virtualization products like VMware View. PC Repurposing, getting prolonged use from existing PCs, is an obvious use case for virtual desktop technology and Ubuntu is the perfect platform.

VMware View Client Tech is available now for all Ubuntu versions from Ubuntu 10.04 LTS through Ubuntu 11.10 and works with VMware View 4.6 and 5. It incorporates VMware’s latest View Client technology with PCoIP which provides end users with top performance regardless of network conditions. Download the VMware View Client Tech Preview now at the Ubuntu Software Centre.

What makes it so appealing ? Ubuntu runs seamlessly on the Webbook and it works brilliantly with a range of printers, cameras, MP3 players and other peripherals. Ubuntu brings a fresh emphasis on usability that millions of existing users around the world already enjoy.

Ubuntu boots up in seconds, delivering a bundle of applications right out of the box. It’s ready to go, reliable, and security is rock-solid. It’s as effective for business as for pleasure. With LibreOffice, you can create professional documents that are fully compatible with Microsoft Office (TM). Social networking through Twitter and Facebook is easily accessible too, with the ability to effortlessly share pictures, play music and edit video.

You can buy the Vodacom Webbook here.