Canonical and SpikeSource partner to offer certified applications

Canonical Ltd, the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu, and SpikeSource, a provider of open source solutions, today announced that SpikeSource will certify its business-ready open source applications for Ubuntu, and deliver support for Ubuntu through its growing channel of solution providers.

Under this agreement, SpikeSource will certify its applications and stacks on Ubuntu, and will eventually deliver the entire SpikeSource application suite on Ubuntu. Users of Ubuntu will benefit from SpikeSource certified applications and integration as part of a wider Open Source IT infrastructure.

SpikeSource will become a reseller of Canonical Global Support Services for Ubuntu, and will eventually fully integrate the Ubuntu distribution into its SpikeIgnited solutions. SpikeSource will then be able to provide federated support and updates for the entire software stack via the SpikeNet service.

“The popularity of Ubuntu combined with Canonical’s commitment to Open Source development, makes it a perfect partner for SpikeSource,” said Kim Polese, CEO of SpikeSource. “Ubuntu users can now benefit from the same open source innovation from their business applications as they do from their operating system.”

“Our relationship with SpikeSource will assist businesses to use Ubuntu. Both SpikeSource and Canonical are committed to bringing the benefits of Open Source to a wider business audience.” said Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Ubuntu. “Open Source solutions can help businesses increase productivity and spur innovation while reducing their IT costs. An integrated solution will makes it easier for customers to deploy and maintain SpikeSource’s leading-edge business suites.”

Ubuntu is available for desktops, laptops and servers. The Desktop Edition can be deployed as a general-purpose workstation, thin client, or workstation. The Server Edition offers support for most common server configurations, simplifying the deployment process. It provides a well-integrated platform, enabling quick and easy deployment of new servers with any of the standard internet services such as e-mail, eb, file serving and database management.

Steve George, Director of Support and Services at Canonical commented, “The partnership with SpikeSource is in-line with our objective to bring the benefits of Open Source to a wider business audience by delivering world-class support and assistance through a growing network of specialist partners.”

About Canonical

Canonical is the commercial sponsor of the Ubuntu project and the leading provider of support services for Ubuntu deployments in the enterprise.

Ubuntu is a free, open-source platform for client, server and cloud computing. Since its launch in 2004, it has become a natural choice for users of all kinds, from Fortune 500 companies to hardware makers, content providers, software developers and individual technologists.

With developers, support staff and engineering centres all over the world, Canonical is uniquely positioned to help its partners and enterprise customers make the most of Ubuntu. Canonical is a privately held company.