5 Reasons Why Linux Choice Matters

SUSE’s open source ethos has always been about choice, transparency and community. SUSE released its first enterprise Linux distro over 30 years ago. And we’ve been managing multi Linux distributions for over 20 years with SUSE Manager. It is also why SUSE released SUSE Liberty Linux. SUSE Liberty Linux is a technology and solutions offering that lets you keep your desired Linux OS (CentOS or RHEL) and get your security patches, maintenance updates and technical support from SUSE. In today’s open source landscape, this is particularly important – especially if you are running a Linux distro that is rapidly reaching end of life.

You might be thinking, “There are a number of distros that I can choose from, why should I choose SUSE Liberty Linux?” Here are 5 very good reasons why SUSE Liberty Linux should be at the top of your list.

Zero migration

Choosing SUSE Liberty Linux means that Jul 1, 2024 is just another day in your data center. SUSE Liberty Linux is a technology and support solution that lets you continue using the RHEL 7 and CentOS workloads you already have, while providing you with a unified support experience for managing your heterogeneous IT environments. This means zero risky migrations, zero retraining, and zero disruptions. And because we know how priceless security is to your data center, we proactively provide CVE security patches and maintenance updates on a regular cadence. So when considering other options, consider the cost of migration, retraining and retesting – then consider SUSE Liberty Linux.

Full compatibility

SUSE Liberty Linux is fully compatible on the application binary interface level with the versions of RHEL currently supported and available today, and with CentOS. User-space applications that run on RHEL or CentOS are expected to run with equivalent performance and functionality on SUSE Liberty Linux.*

We backport fixes into the CentOS code, the same way we do with our own software—keeping 100% compatibility of API and application binary interface (ABI). We’re fixing the vulnerabilities you have without breaking anything. We’ve done this for decades. Now, we’re happy to do it for you.

User-space applications that run on RHEL are expected to run with equivalent performance and functionality on SUSE Liberty Linux. Factors in each customer’s environment will impact the performance of the OS and the applications and so we advise customers to thoroughly test their specific applications on their OS prior to running production workloads.

SUSE stands behind its SUSE Liberty Linux offering to the same degree we do all our products and has decades’ experience in assisting customers migrate between, and manage, different enterprise Linux workloads.

* Factors in each customer’s environment will impact the performance of the OS and the applications and so we advise customers to thoroughly test their specific applications on their OS prior to running production workloads.

Backed by SUSE

SUSE Liberty Linux is backed by SUSE. SUSE is the company that released the very first Linux distribution way back in 1992. That means for more than 30 years SUSE has been the vanguard of open source technologies.

SUSE has an impressive bench of software engineers that eat, breathe, and sleep open source. We are heavily involved and contribute to the open source communities on a regular basis. We believe in transparency and openness and we will not only adhere to the letter of the open source but also the spirit of openness. You have the right to have a choice; we’re here to support you.

Support for your entire infrastructure

SUSE makes Linux, but we manage multiple Linuxes. We understand that heterogeneity is the reality in most businesses. But managing and supporting a heterogeneous Linux environment can be hard, complex and time consuming. SUSE has simplified this:

• With SUSE Manager that manages over 16 different Linux distros from a single pane of glass.
• With a world-class support team that provides support for not only our SLES, but also for your other distros.
• With optional support services that provide a named premium support resource for your entire infrastructure.

Services that lead to success

SUSE Global Services has the expertise to help you navigate the open source landscape. Whether you choose to transition to SUSE Liberty Linux or migrate to SLES, we have the expertise available to ensure your transition is a success. Just some of the services we offer are:

• Premium Support Services provides you with direct access to a named engineer that can support your entire environment, including RHEL, CentOS, SLES and Liberty.
• Consulting engagements to optimize your transition to Liberty. These range in scope from validating the health of your current infrastructure to implementing solutions to simplify management of your current infrastructure through migration services to design and implement a migration to SLES.
• eLearning subscriptions that provide limitless learning opportunities for you and your team to learn about SUSE technologies on your time.

Summary

As you make your decision on what to do with your current infrastructure, consider your choices carefully. Consider SUSE Liberty Linux.

Curious to learn more? Watch the on demand webinar or reach out to your account rep today!