Linux Cloud Hosting: The New Shift

In an extremely competitive environment where enterprises are forced to achieve more from less, the adoption of cloud computing has become the new paradigm shift. To leverage flexibility, speed and cost advantages, the enterprises are not only moving towards cloud computing, but also increasingly they are depending upon the ubiquitous technology called Linux. Undoubtedly, the lethal combination of cloud computing and Linux has become the unusual steroid for business transformation. The advent of IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) has brought along a whole new set of considerations. Apart from flexibility, speed, accessibility, higher availability, and lower cost, the most critical consideration is an open-source technology that supports the all other parameters. In true sense, Linux has taken over many proprietary technologies used in cloud hosting because it offers economy with scale in a more calibrated manner. Perhaps, that's the reason why the top-tier cloud computing solutions such as Amazon EC2, ElasticHosts, Mozy, Google Apps, Blue Cloud, and vCloud are powered by Linux.

Why Linux?

Linux has become the de facto technology for cloud computing. It's not just the cost advantage that attracts the global players to run cloud infrastructure on Linux, but there are a number of other important factors that support this trend.

Architecture

While a technology offers flexibility for customization, it adaptability becomes universal. And that's the core strength of Linux kernel. The configurability, compotentization, customization, and high availability are few parameters that drive the whole business of cloud computing. With Linux at core, the architecture of cloud computing becomes robust and flexible for disparate customer requirements.

Compatibility and Standards

In a cloud computing ecosystem, the customers prefer open-source service architecture because they benefit hugely while extending their local data center to cloud. With thousands of open source applications available in the market, the customers bank on Linux for hosting and administration. Thus it becomes imperative for cloud service providers to bang on a common standard for better usage.

Manageability

Adopting to a technology becomes faster when its manageability becomes easier and cost effective. As Linux becomes a core common skill for infrastructure administrators, the cloud computing solutions providers trade cautiously. And here comes the rationale for the cloud players to leverage the demand for Linux.

Cost

Apart from licensing cost of proprietary platform, the running cost guzzles out huge money on power consumption. Where as Linux-based platform can be run on scale-down hardware which require lower power consumption in comparison to other high-end hardware. So, from managing a data center to administering client units, Linux offers a credible cost-saving option for customers.

Conclusion

With growing adoption of cloud computing in next generation businesses, the leading solutions providers are considering critical parameters including but not limited to cost optimization and technology delimitation. The flexibility of usage, scalability, affordability, and faster replication have added more reasons for solutions providers to engage Linux with cloud computing. Perhaps, the technology leaders like Amazon and Google have internalized this truth.