Fueling open source adoption, together
Open source adoption is easier with the right technology and the right partners. Canonical makes open source adoption straightforward, fast, and cost effective. Our software is free from vendor lock in, supported by experts, and powered by community collaboration. We’re here to help you make the most of your open source investment. Still on the fence about adopting open source? Explore our resources below.
Why enterprises choose open source
70%
Of organizations find open source extremely important to run mission-critical applications
44%
Adopt open source to reduce costs
36%
Adopt open source to improve development velocity
31%
Adopt open source to improve security
Adopting open source helps attract technical talent
76% of organizations agree that adopting and actively engaging with open source software creates a significant advantage in attracting technical talent, according to recent research by the Linux Foundation.1
Ubuntu is the most widely used operating system amongst developers, making it easier to attract talent who understand open source and are keen to work with Ubuntu.2
1 Open source as Europe's strategic advantage: trends, barriers, and priorities for the European open source community amid regulatory and geopolitical shifts, August, 2025.
2 2025 state of open source report, Perforce OpenLogic, 2025, p.13.
Why Canonical?
Open source that stays open
Canonical offers open source software for every part of your stack – from helping you easily provision your data center, to orchestrating workloads more efficiently, and beyond. We don’t fork our product with enterprise and community versions, and we don’t lock you in with proprietary features. You pay only for the support and expanded security features you need. Whatever the future brings, your stack can keep evolving.
Supporting your open source adoption
One of the largest barriers to software adoption for enterprises is knowledge gaps. With Canonical, this barrier disappears: our dedicated teams are happy to help your team adjust and upskill. We provide options ranging from bug fix support, to fully managed services and consulting.
We’re invested in sharing our 20+ years of open source experience with your team, so you can make your investment in open source worthwhile.
Giving back to projects and their developers
The fundamental drive behind open source is community: the belief that good software should be available to everyone – and that we are strongest when we work together, transparently.
Canonical’s support for developers goes far beyond the Ubuntu project – learn more about how we invest in open source projects and communities.
Enterprise open source: the Ubuntu way
Canonical is built on a symbiotic relationship between our customers, our community, and our company. Each element benefits the others, driving innovation and success. Bring your team together on an open source platform they can agree on.
Our customers benefit from adopting Canonical open source in different ways.
- Composability for competitive advantage: composable systems scale easily, accelerate development, and can be customized to meet the organization’s specific needs.
- Gain knowledge: a broad user base, active online communities, and Canonical’s support make issue resolution easy.
- Lower costs: our affordable enterprise solutions require no proprietary hardware, or costly licensing fees.
Canonical closely collaborates with and supports the global community of developers innovating, improving, and maintaining open source software projects. In turn, we – and our customers – benefit from better software.
- Innovation: the open source community continuously improves software, offering valuable feedback to us and supporting users.
- Faster development: a global developer network brings diverse ideas and skills, which makes for better, easier, and more secure software.
- Purpose and impact: Canonical supports these passionate communities to continue their valuable work.
By working with Canonical, our customers benefit from our software – whilst enabling us to continue our mission to amplify the global impact of open source.
- Contributions and governance: Canonical contributes to, steers, and supports many open source projects and foundations to ensure their long-term development and sustainability.
- Security assurances: Through Ubuntu Pro, we offer enterprises up to 12 years of coverage for thousands of packages, with reliable vulnerability management and security patching automation, as well as compliance certifications. This facilitates open source adoption while mitigating risks.
- Stability and dependability: with 20+ years of experience and expertise in Linux, we’re here in the long term to support you and our communities.
Enterprises' expectations of open source projects
54%
Expect long term support guarantees
53%
Expect rapid security patching
Open source with enterprise-grade support
For high stakes environments, enterprises consider paid support essential – from mission critical workloads, to systems handling sensitive data, to cloud infrastructure.3
Canonical ensures that your enterprise’s support and security needs are met, providing experts to facilitate your open source adoption journey and ongoing operations.
3 Open source as Europe's strategic advantage: trends, barriers, and priorities for the European open source community amid regulatory and geopolitical shifts, The Linux Foundation, August, 2025
Where can you adopt open source with Canonical?
Our customers have adopted our open source software to solve all kinds of challenges – from AI workloads and large private clouds, to healthcare devices and critical telecommunications and financial services infrastructure.
Private cloud and K8s
Nova, a leading telecommunications and media group, chose Canonical OpenStack with Canonical Kubernetes for their open source cloud build.
For environments that require a highly scalable private cloud, MicroCloud is a straightforward, lightweight, and resource efficient option. Find out how MicroCloud is helping the Université de l’Ontario Français meet its goals in the case study.
Edge devices
Rehrig Pacific, a logistics innovator, uses Ubuntu Core to safely run applications behind customer firewalls and revolutionize logistics with computer vision.
Security and compliance for highly regulated markets
Canonical’s software is designed with a focus on security. LaunchDarkly, a software as a service (SaaS) provider, chose Ubuntu Pro to help achieve effortless FIPS compliance on their AWS public cloud, opening up a new market for their business.
AI and Machine Learning
University of Tasmania (UTAS) used Canonical OpenStack and Kubernetes to migrate its space-tracking software to a Supercloud platform. Canonical helped UTAS enable real-time AI/ML-powered object monitoring and lay the foundation for future automated MLOps workflows.
Customer testimonials
“My favorite part of the engagement has been how easy it has been to deal with Canonical. I wasn’t forced into an enterprise sales cycle; I just reached out to Geoff Andrews, a Sales Director at Canonical, we hashed it all out, and the private offer was done in a month. It couldn’t have been easier.”
Daniel Schell
Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder
Airlock Digital
“Canonical works with us as partner and they own problems alongside us. I feel like we work as a team rather than a simple business transaction.”
Curtis Haslam
Senior Manager at Network Cloud
BT Group
“Info on Ubuntu is right there at our fingertips. Anything we need to know is always just a Google search away, so whatever issues we run into are easy to solve.”
Ed Zenisek
IT Manager
NMSU Physical Science Lab
Foundations we support and collaborate with
Open source foundations guide the upstream development that many projects depend upon. Through collaboration, the software that we all rely on continues to improve, fostering new innovation. Foundations that we support and collaborate with include:
Further reading
Learn about Open Source Program Offices (OSPOs)
Despite widespread adoption of open source software, only 34% of organizations have a formal open source strategy. OSPOs are a great option to improve your open source governance and clarify your strategy.
OSPOs oversee open source policies, ensure compliance, and optimize engagement with open source.
Learn the benefits of OSPOs, and how to set up and run your own in our guide.
Discover insights on open source adoption in Europe
The Linux Foundation’s most recent report, “Open source as Europe's strategic advantage: trends, barriers, and priorities for the European open source community amid regulatory and geopolitical shifts”, reveals the challenges, considerations, and emerging trends in how organizations are using open source software in Europe.
The report indicates that open source adoption has become a necessity for organizations – yet many still lack the formal strategies needed to benefit fully from their open source software.