Canonical unveils MicroCloud: A low-touch, open source cloud solution for enterprises

Canonical has unveiled MicroCloud, a low-touch, open source cloud solution that expands its cloud infrastructure portfolio. The platform caters to scalable clusters and edge deployments for a range of enterprise types, with a focus on simplicity, security, and automation to reduce deployment and maintenance time.

MicroCloud is supported under Canonical's Ubuntu Pro subscription, which offers enterprise support across several tiers, priced per node. The platform is optimized for reliable, repeatable remote deployments, enabling a fully functional cloud within minutes through a single command that orchestrates and clusters various components.

Security and ease of maintenance are core to MicroCloud, with all components built with strict confinement for enhanced security. The platform features over-the-air transactional updates that preserve data, automatically rolling back on errors. Upgrades to newer versions are handled automatically and without downtime.

MicroCloud's lightweight architecture is compatible with both commodity and high-end hardware, and can be further minimized depending on workload needs. Users have the option to run workloads using VMs, system containers, or Kubernetes through Microk8s. System containers based on LXD operate similarly to traditional VMs but use fewer resources while providing bare-metal performance.

With the Ubuntu Pro + Support subscription, MicroCloud users have access to an enterprise-grade open source cloud solution that is fully supported and economically advantageous.