Why 2012 Is Shaping Up to Be a Banner Year for Linux in the Cloud

Will 2012 be the year that Linux begins to dominate the cloud? That's the prediction of many a pundit. Many individual users of Linux don't necessarily have uses for cloud storage and cloud services, but as Linux becomes more firmly entrenched in businesses, and as cloud computing advances in general, Linux and the cloud are converging faster than ever. Here are some strong signals of this trend.

As TechNewsWorld notes:

"Linux and accompanying open source software will continue to dominate cloud computing, whether through the top enterprise Linux server vendors increasingly focusing on the cloud; other cloud OS options that may leverage Linux; virtual Linux or machine images on any number of private or public cloud options; or the use of unpaid community Linux. Linux and other open source software underpins nearly all cloud computing offerings, whether Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), PaaS, public cloud or private cloud."

The bigger picture, of course, is that open source platforms in general are showing strong promise in the cloud. OpenStack has incredible backing from many technology giants, and we've reported on Rackspace's "Fanatically Supported" OpenStack-based cloud platform.  The solution is specifically aimed at helping enterprises deploy and manage private cloud applications, and it will compete directly with Eucalyptus Systems' platform.

Cloud hosting providers are increasingly turning to Linux for their platforms as well. For example, Canadian Web Hosting has launched an extension of its cloud services through a Linux-based shared hosting environment. eApps Hosting is providing CentOS 6 Linux templates for the company's virtual machine in the cloud hosting service. The instances are supported by technical analysts 24/7. And, the latest version of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and the upcoming upgrade of Ubuntu are squarely focused on cloud services, not to mention Red Hat's continuing focus on Linux-based cloud offerings.

Look for Linux to continue to make inroads in the cloud in 2012, and look for support offerings to differentiate the winners and losers in the Linux cloud arena. The desktop market is emerging as a tiny fraction of overall Linux deployment.