Navigating the complexities of modern IT environments demands a partner who seamlessly integrates with your team, anticipating needs and offering solutions that not just maintain, but enhance your operations.

SUSE does just that, across both SAP and non-SAP workloads in diverse Linux landscapes. If you already use SUSE for SAP, you understand the reliability and performance this partnership provides. Now, imagine extending that same level of support to your entire Linux estate, across multiple distributions.

Why SUSE for SAP?

You won’t find a more optimized Linux distribution for SAP than SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications. Our long-standing expertise and deep compatibility with SAP solutions make us the preferred Linux distribution for SAP workloads, wherever they are running. We work closely with SAP to ensure we’re always supporting the latest features and requirements, providing tailored enhancements to boost performance and reliability.

Our solutions integrate seamlessly into SAP environments with minimal disruption. We optimize Linux specifically for SAP to ensure the Linux that you use is the Linux that you need; from a security standpoint, performance standpoint and infrastructure standpoint. If you run SAP, there is a high chance that you are also running SUSE, maybe without even knowing it. SUSE is already a key part of your infrastructure, supporting SAP systems with unmatched reliability and efficiency.

SUSE for Workloads Beyond SAP

SUSE’s flexibility extends to managing a wide range of workloads beyond SAP. Our solutions are effective wherever you have Linux infrastructure needs, from databases and web servers to enterprise applications and edge computing. SUSE empowers organizations to choose the Linux that best meets their needs.

Our commitment to choice is the backbone of SUSE’s products, including SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and SUSE Liberty Linux. With SUSE, you can run your workloads where they run best, and ensure security and support across any Linux environment. We empower a heterogeneous infrastructure that serves your needs, not a vendor’s convenience.

This flexibility allows organizations to embrace innovation unbounded by versions or lifecycles, since you’re not dependent on a single vendor’s ecosystem. Instead, you have the freedom to build an infrastructure that works best for your business, leveraging the strengths of multiple Linux distributions. After all, the value of open source is the ability to innovate quickly and accelerate development, backed by community. This approach empowers you to create a resilient, flexible and cost-effective IT environment that can adapt to changing business demands.

How SUSE Supports All Linux Environments

SUSE provides a single source of service and support for both SAP and non-SAP workloads. Our centralized management tools streamline operations and improve security, allowing you to manage all your Linux distros in one place. Consolidating support from one source lets you avoid managing multiple contracts and vendors – and reduces costs for the business.

For example, the Polish airline LOT leveraged SUSE solutions to enhance their efficiency and drive down costs. Discover LOT’s success story.

“Our initial migration from Red Hat Enterprise Support to SUSE Liberty Linux produced 50% savings in subscription costs.”

– Marek Truszkowski IT Systems Administrator LOT Polish Airlines

Our solutions act as a force multiplier, helping IT teams focus on innovation by reducing daily complexities. With over 30 years of Linux expertise, SUSE delivers seamless integration and reliable support. We actively maintain and contribute to the Linux kernel and many other open source projects, embodying true open source values. This deep involvement in the open source community ensures that our solutions are always at the cutting edge of technology, that we have the deepest and broadest knowledge of such technologies, and that we’ll provide you with the best possible support and tools to drive your business forward.

We invest in supporting our customers’ choices, including what Linux you’re running. We believe that organizations should have the freedom to choose the technologies that best meet their needs, without being constrained by vendor lock-in.

As some of your current Linux distributions, like CentOS and other Enterprise Linux, approach end of life or alter their support terms, SUSE Liberty offers a lifeline. You don’t have to rush into a costly and complex migration. SUSE Liberty Linux lets you simply change the source of updates without migrating, giving you enough time to plan a safe and organized transition to the Linux environment of your choice.

With SUSE as your choice, you can always decide which infrastructure to improve by adopting the full potential of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server — on your own timeline — and which Linux to keep in your current Linux distribution while leveraging the same level of enterprise support that you have in your SAP environment.

Choosing SUSE isn’t merely about selecting a Linux distribution; it’s about inviting an experienced collaborator into your ecosystem — one that champions the ideals of open source.

Learn More

In the dynamic landscape of modern IT, choosing the right partner is crucial for success. At SUSE, we understand the complexities of managing diverse Linux environments, for SAP and non-SAP workloads. Our commitment to providing reliable, flexible and open solutions is unwavering.

See the power of SUSE in action. Discover how SUSE can help you unlock the full potential of your IT infrastructure.

Choose open. Choose SUSE.

Krumware has been awarded the Rising Star Emerging Technology Solutions Partner of the Year at the SUSECON Partner Summit! The award was presented to Colin Griffin, CEO and Chief Architect at Krumware. 

Krumware’s core business revolves around providing cutting-edge IT infrastructure and operations management solutions. Krumware specializes in managing and optimizing cloud environments, helping businesses to leverage cloud technologies effectively. This includes cloud migration, resource optimization, and continuous monitoring.

In response to the award, Colin Griffin said, “We’re incredibly honored by the award. Rancher and SUSE products have been key components of our software and platform development for years. This award emphasizes our and SUSE’s commitment to developing the next generation of infrastructure capabilities for software and platform engineers. We’re excited to continue our growth alongside SUSE!”

Krumware provides the essential tools, automation, security, and scalability required for effective Platform Engineering. By leveraging Krumware’s solutions and support, Platform Engineers can build robust, efficient, and secure platforms that support the needs of development teams and drive business success.

Watch SUSECON interview with Colin Griffin

and check out Krumware’s SUSECON’24 sessions (available on-demand): 

• Saving lives with Kubernetes – Advancing Biomedical Research with Rancher (customer case study)

Wake Forest University School of Medicine professor Meredith Adams (MD, MS, FASA, FAMIA) needed to deploy with her IT team  a research tool called a Data Commons as soon as possible, but it had two hard requirements: kubernetes expertise, and the wrong cloud provider. Learn how SUSE Diamond Partner Krumware and Meredith Adams teamed up to standardize a platform stack (Rancher, Neuvector, Longhorn, Argo) to deploy, secure, and interconnect Data Commons anywhere, while giving IT teams tools to manage them.

• The BARN Stack – A new Developer Platform stack with Backstage, Argo, Rancher, and NeuVector

Platform engineering as a practice is taking companies by storm, but there are thousands of tools to choose from. Practitioners are starting to seek out proven platform “stacks” to trust and simplify their platform implementations. Comparable to the growing BACK stack, Krumware has developed the BARN stack, a software developer’s (and operator’s, and secops’) dream application development, management, and deployment platform with Rancher as the core. We look at the concept of Rancher as the “Core Platform”, integrated gitops, Rancher Extensions, and the SUSE-focused stack that is ready to provide an extensible, reliable, portable, and secure application development and testing platform.

Learn about the awards that highlight our SUSE top-performing partners: Empowering Innovation: Celebrating Partner Excellence

For more info, contact SUSE and Krumware  

It’s July 1. Is your data center secure?

Yesterday, CentOS 7 officially reached its end-of-life (EOL). For countless enterprises that have relied on CentOS 7, this marked a significant and scary turning point. The end of official support means no more updates, no security patches and no bug fixes. The implications are profound, affecting the stability, security and compliance of your systems.

In this blog, we’ll discuss:

• CentOS 7 EOL Impact
• Security and Compliance Risks
• Cost and Operational Concerns
• Future Solutions for CentOS
• Steps to Ensure Continuity

Understanding the Implications of CentOS 7’s End-of-Life

If you’re reading this, your CentOS 7 infrastructure has officially reached its end of life (EOL) and you now need to take Immediate action. The EOL of CentOS 7 introduces several significant challenges. Without regular updates and security patches, your systems become vulnerable to numerous security threats. Cybersecurity risks are continually evolving, and an unpatched system is an easy target for attacks, potentially leading to data breaches, loss of sensitive information, and significant downtime.

This lack of support also poses serious compliance issues. Many industries have stringent regulations that mandate up-to-date security measures and ongoing support. Running an EOL operating system will result in non-compliance, which can lead to hefty fines and damage to an organization’s reputation.

Another major concern is the operational impact. Without updates, the stability and performance of CentOS 7 systems will degrade over time. Software dependencies become outdated, leading to compatibility issues and increased maintenance work. This will slow down business operations and divert resources from strategic projects.

In addition to security and compliance issues, organizations must consider the financial impacts. Maintaining an unsupported operating system like CentOS 7 often results in higher costs. IT teams will need to allocate more time and resources to manual maintenance, troubleshooting, and seeking third-party support solutions. These efforts can quickly add up, straining budgets and diverting funds from other critical projects.

Exploring the CentOS Future

So, what does the future hold for CentOS users? The end of CentOS 7’s lifecycle doesn’t have to mean the end of stability and security for your systems. End-of-life doesn’t have to mean the end of the road for sunsetting distributions like CentOS 7. Instead, it presents an opportunity to reassess your infrastructure and discover solutions that offer equal or greater reliability and support. The key is to find a path forward that minimizes disruption while ensuring your systems remain secure and compliant. The CentOS future can still be bright.

One promising alternative is to seek out partners who offer extended support for CentOS 7. These partners provide essential updates, security patches and bug fixes to safeguard your systems against emerging threats. By leveraging the expertise of these partners, you can maintain the stability and performance of your existing CentOS 7 environment without the immediate need for a disruptive migration.

Some solutions even enable you to maintain your current CentOS environment while still receiving critical patches, updates and support. This approach allows you to sidestep the costly and time-consuming process of migrating to a completely new system. By preserving your familiar environment, your IT teams can focus on strategic initiatives instead of grappling with compatibility issues and extensive retraining. This ensures that your operations remain smooth and uninterrupted.

SUSE Liberty Linux: A Lifeline for CentOS Users

SUSE Liberty Linux is a strong solution designed to keep CentOS 7 running smoothly without requiring a disruptive migration. It offers extended support, including security patches, bug fixes and maintenance updates to ensure your systems stay secure and compliant.

A major benefit of SUSE Liberty Linux is that it requires no migration. This means you can keep using your current CentOS 7 systems without the complex process of switching to a different Linux distribution. This keeps your environment familiar and avoids disruption.

Why Choose SUSE Liberty Linux?

1. Extended Support: SUSE Liberty Linux offers comprehensive support beyond the EOL of CentOS 7, including timely security patches and updates to safeguard your systems against new threats.
2. Compliance Assurance: Continuous updates and support ensure you remain compliant with industry regulations, helping you avoid fines and protect your reputation.
3. Cost-Efficiency: By avoiding the need to migrate, you save significantly on costs, eliminating expenses related to retraining, reconfiguration and testing.
4. Operational Stability: SUSE Liberty Linux provides ongoing maintenance and support, ensuring your systems run smoothly, minimizing unexpected downtime and keeping business operations steady.
5. Trusted Expertise: With over 30 years of experience in enterprise Linux, SUSE delivers reliable knowledge and support to guide you through the post-CentOS 7 landscape.

Step into the Future of CentOS

The end-of-life of CentOS 7 is the end of an era for many organizations. However, with SUSE Liberty Linux, there is a clear path forward to ensure continued support, security and compliance from a true partner who’s been in the Linux business for over 30 years. By using SUSE Liberty Linux, you can extend the life of your CentOS 7 systems without needing disruptive migrations, keeping your operations running smoothly and letting you focus on strategic goals.

In the CentOS future, SUSE Liberty Linux is a reliable and continuous support option. It keeps the legacy of CentOS 7 alive, fully supported and maintained by SUSE. Embrace the future with confidence, knowing your systems are in good hands.

Discover more resources to navigate the CentOS 7 EOL in this comprehensive guide.

The end-of-life (EOL) date for CentOS 7 passed on June 30, 2024, and with this milestone, businesses must evaluate their options for replacing this longstanding pillar of enterprise IT.

The termination of CentOS support means no more updates, patches or official assistance, posing significant risks to the security and operational stability of thousands of businesses. Continuing to run CentOS after EOL means serious financial risk, especially when hackers will deliberately target unprotected CentOS workloads. However, the forced transition away from CentOS can potentially be a large investment for organizations, as well.

This article details various options to deal with the CentOS end-of-life to minimize costs and maximize the return-on-investment. We’ll cover:

• The financial implications of the CentOS EOL
• Budget considerations for CentOS replacements, including migration and support options
• How to maximize cost savings with a zero-migration CentOS alternative

Although the CentOS EOL has financial consequences, this critical juncture offers an opportunity to transform your IT infrastructure, investing in a robust and reliable environment to foster growth for years to come.

The Financial Implications of CentOS EOL

With CentOS end-of-life, this means CentOS workloads will no longer receive security patches or updates, leaving your distributions vulnerable to cyberattacks. The average cost of a data breach globally was $4.45 million in 2023, according to the Data Breach Report 2023 by the Ponemon Institute. This staggering statistic illustrates the potential cost of each attack your CentOS distros will weather if they remain unprotected.

The cost of inaction underscores the urgency of making a decision for your CentOS workloads. You can choose to migrate to a new operating system or choose to continue running CentOS with added support. Let’s look more closely at the financial considerations for each of these options.

Budget Considerations for Migrating to a CentOS Replacement

When planning to migrate away from CentOS, it’s crucial to consider the financial impact. Here are key points to keep in mind when deciding whether to invest in a migration to a new operating system:

1. Assessment Costs:
   • Conduct a thorough inventory of all systems running CentOS.
   • Identify dependencies and critical systems that require immediate attention.
2. Resource Allocation:
   • Determine the resources needed for the transition to the CentOS replacement, including hardware, software and personnel.
   • Budget for new licenses, training staff on new systems and potential external support.
3. Downtime and Migration Costs:
   • Estimate the potential downtime required for transitioning systems to a new platform.
   • Expect both planned and unplanned downtime, and schedule migrations to minimize disruption.

If you choose to migrate, be sure to research the performance and scalability of whichever new OS you’re considering. Read more about preparing your infrastructure for the CentOS EOL.

Potential Cost Savings with CentOS Support

Different models of continued support for CentOS can offer cost-effective alternatives to a full migration. These are the three main categories of support options for CentOS:

1. Extended Support: Can offer updates, security, patches and technical support beyond EOL. It’s important to note that no first-party extended support is currently being offered for CentOS, and its current proprietors are advising a full migration to another Linux environment.
2. Third-Party Support: Third-party vendors are offering support for CentOS, which includes patches, updates and technical support beyond EOL. Third-party support can often be more affordable and flexible compared to vendor-provided extended support.
3. DIY (Do It Yourself) Support for CentOS: You can opt to create your own updates for your CentOS system after EOL. If you have deep Linux expertise on your team, this could be a viable option, but consider whether DIY is the most cost-effective or timely method of addressing vulnerabilities.

When considering external support for CentOS, consider the vendor’s history with Linux, their engineering staff’s expertise and the scope of support included in the contract. Dive deeper into your CentOS EOL support options.

Exploring CentOS Alternatives

When evaluating CentOS alternatives, several options are available, whether you plan to migrate or seek extended support. Each option has its own financial and operational implications:

1. Free Linux Distributions:
   • There are several free CentOS replacements to move to, but these require migration and adaptation to a new environment.
2. Commercial Linux Distributions: 
   • Enterprise Linux solutions on other operating systems provide robust support for your workloads, but come with subscription costs; some still require complex migrations.
   • Consider the total cost of ownership, including licensing, support and training.
3. SUSE Liberty Linux:
   • Continuity and Compatibility: SUSE Liberty Linux allows you to continue using your existing RPM-based setup, eliminating the need for extensive retraining or script rewrites.
   • Cost-Effective Transition: With no migration required, you avoid the costs associated with building a new environment from scratch.
   • Enterprise-Grade Support: Benefit from SUSE’s 24/7 follow-the-sun support and deep technical expertise.

SUSE Liberty Linux: A Cost-Effective CentOS Alternative

Your transition from CentOS can be seamless, stress-free and cost-effective with SUSE Liberty Linux. This solution lets you keep running CentOS and get your security patches, maintenance updates and technical support from SUSE. This means zero risky migrations, zero retraining and zero disruptions.

As a no-migration alternative to CentOS, SUSE Liberty Linux lets you avoid the costs associated with building a new environment from scratch. Investing in a solution backed by a trusted enterprise ensures long-term stability and support, with SUSE’s 30+ years of experience in enterprise Linux and 24/7 follow-the-sun support providing a solid foundation for future growth.

SUSE Liberty Services ensure a smooth transition with expert support and tailored solutions to fit your business needs. SUSE offers three fixed-price options to accelerate ROI, reduce risk and implement best practices.

SUSE is offering a special deal on SUSE Liberty Linux Lite for CentOS users stranded by the EOL. Don’t miss out on the limited-time offer to keep your current CentOS 7 systems and still get the security patches and updates you need, for just $25 per server, starting at 100 minimum servers.

SUSE Liberty Linux Empowers a Successful Linux Transition

SUSE Liberty Linux is a proven solution for Linux cost savings, as shown by the experience of LOT Polish Airlines.

LOT Polish Airlines needed to ensure its systems could support rapidly expanding business. To gain flexibility and avoid ever-growing IT costs, LOT migrated from Red Hat Enterprise Support to SUSE Liberty Linux, reducing operating system subscription fees by 50%.

“Our initial migration from Red Hat Enterprise Support to SUSE Liberty Linux produced 50% savings in subscription costs.”

– Marek Truszkowski, IT Systems Administrator at LOT Polish Airlines

As the business grows — without needing to pay higher OS fees — LOT estimates that its total cost of ownership for Linux will be 30% lower. Discover LOT’s success story.

More CentOS EOL Resources

Navigating the end-of-life for CentOS 7 requires a strategic and proactive approach. By understanding the financial implications, exploring alternatives and choosing a robust solution like SUSE Liberty Linux, businesses can ensure a smooth transition while maximizing cost savings and ROI. The time to act is now — embrace this opportunity to build a stronger, more resilient IT foundation.

Discover more information to help you prepare with this comprehensive guide to the CentOS EOL. 

For more details on how SUSE can help with your CentOS transition, reach out to us.

If your business is running on CentOS, you’re now living on borrowed time. A once stable and reliable Linux operating system, CentOS will officially reach its end of life in just a few days. This means no more security patches, no more maintenance updates and no more security. With 60% of cyberattacks caused by unpatched systems (according to the Ponemon Institute), it’s time for you to decide your next move.

Replacing an OS is a huge endeavor – whether you are migrating to a new OS or upgrading to a supported OS. It takes time, resources and lots of testing. And what happens if one of your business-critical applications doesn’t run on the new OS? You have to replace that application, which also means time, resources and testing. And, while you’re doing all of that testing, you might be looking at extended downtime.

So what are some considerations to take into account when looking for a CentOS replacement?

Here are our top three:

1. Scalability
2. Flexibility
3. Robust Support

1. Consider Scalability

As your business continues to grow, you want to make sure that your OS can scale appropriately. Scalability, as defined by SUSE, is “the ability for IT systems – such as applications, storage, databases and networking – to continue to function properly when changed in size or volume. It often refers to increasing or decreasing resources as needed to meet the higher or lower demands of a business.”

Choosing a CentOS substitute that scales with your business allows you to add more users, service more customers and process more data. This allows you to make informed decisions.

Linux is a highly scalable operating system – running on both desktop machines and in the largest supercomputers. Releasing our first enterprise Linux in 1991, SUSE is known for our modular, reliable, compliant and future-proof Linux server. SUSE provides a scalable choice that ensures your enterprise’s business continuity.

2. Consider Flexibility

Like most businesses, you are probably running a complex infrastructure. You might have servers in the cloud (or multiple clouds), on-premises or even on the edge. This adaptability makes Linux suitable for a wide variety of applications.

No matter where you are running your Linux OS, you want to make sure that it runs similarly wherever you need it to so your administrators are comfortable with the features and function of the OS. That’s why SUSE has developed our enterprise server with modularity in mind – using a common codebase to ensure applications could be moved across multimodal IT environments.

Flexibility also includes the ability to run the OS wherever you need it to run. Whether you are running on-premises, in the cloud or on the edge, with SUSE, you gain superior reliability, performance and flexibility to run the most demanding business-critical workloads. SUSE offers multiple editions of its OS to support different types of environments and workloads – no matter where your business takes you.

3. Consider Robust Support

While CentOS was a stable Linux distribution that was supported by a robust community, those days are now gone. When choosing the right replacement for CentOS, consider who can best support your business and provide you with business continuity – not only today but into the future. You want to choose a company that has deep open source roots and who has the engineering bench to address and provide security patches to address any vulnerabilities. Furthermore, you want a company that provides support for your entire infrastructure – not just a specific distribution.

SUSE provides you with 24x7x365, follow-the-sun technical support services plus optional consulting services for your entire infrastructure. We’ve been in the open source business for 30 years, our engineering team is robust and our support and consulting teams are available to help you with your entire Linux infrastructure.

What If You Don’t Want to Replace CentOS?

If you want to keep your CentOS infrastructure and make July 1, 2024 just another day in your data center, SUSE has your answer with SUSE Liberty Linux.

SUSE Liberty Linux is the best replacement for your end-of-life CentOS. With SUSE Liberty Linux, you receive fully application binary compatible security patches and maintenance updates for your entire Linux estate. You’ll get enterprise support and predictable releases for your multi-distro world from a trusted partner who understands Linux and the value of open source. Moreover, you get access to world-class, follow-the-sun technical support for your multi-distro environment.

Learn more about Liberty Linux here.

Prepare for June 30th with our Comprehensive Guide to Navigating CentOS End of Life.

On June 30, 2024, CentOS will reach its end-of-life (EOL), an announcement that took many enterprises by surprise.

For years, CentOS has been a reliable and cost-effective operating system, forming the backbone of numerous IT environments. The sudden EOL announcement sparked urgency within organizations everywhere. Without the security updates and support they once relied on from CentOS, they had to rethink their strategies and find new solutions to ensure their systems remained secure and supported. If you’re one of these organizations, this article will guide you through the key criteria for evaluating CentOS alternatives.

In this blog:

1. Introduction: Overview of CentOS End-of-Life and its impact
2. Understanding the need: Why finding an alternative is crucial
3. Key criteria: Evaluating new operating systems
4. Viable alternatives: Options for replacing CentOS or extending support for current CentOS systems

Understanding the Need for a CentOS Alternative

CentOS has been more than just an operating system; it has been a trusted partner in countless IT environments due to its stability and cost-efficiency. However, with EOL approaching on June 30, 2024, enterprises must now either seek a CentOS substitute or find alternative ways to maintain security and operational continuity.

The EOL of CentOS holds significant implications for enterprise operations. Without regular updates, security risks escalate, transforming systems into prime targets for cyberattacks. Compliance with industry regulations will also be compromised, leaving organizations vulnerable to severe legal and financial repercussions.

If you’re reading this blog, the deadline for CentOS EOL is either on your doorstep or has already passed. The time to act is now. You need to address your CentOS environments to avoid putting your enterprise at risk. Identifying a reliable solution for your CentOS environments is not just a necessity but a critical step in safeguarding your enterprise’s future.

Key Criteria for Evaluating New Operating Systems

Replace or maintain: When faced with the CentOS EOL, it’s crucial to evaluate your options carefully. You might not need to replace CentOS by migrating to a new Linux distribution. Instead, you might want to consider extending the use of your current CentOS environments with extended service and support options. This approach not only helps manage short-term costs but also ensures the long-term stability of your infrastructure. With the deadline approaching, a full migration might be impractical. Choosing a provider that offers extended support for your current CentOS setup, along with the option to upgrade to a modern enterprise OS in the future, allows you to improve and enhance your infrastructure at your own pace and on your own terms.

Security: Security is the bedrock of any enterprise operating system. When evaluating solutions for CentOS EOL, prioritize solutions that offer regular updates and timely security patches. Look for robust security frameworks that provide an extra layer of defense against potential threats. A secure solution must have a proven track record of quickly addressing and mitigating vulnerabilities on Linux, ensuring that your enterprise’s data and operations remain protected at all times.

Support: Reliable support is crucial for the smooth operation of enterprise systems, especially as community-supported distributions like CentOS reach EOL. These outdated distributions often lack a sufficient number of community users in public forums, leading to higher uncertainty and delays in resolving issues without professional assistance. Therefore, it is essential to seek vendors that provide professional support, including 24/7 technical assistance, comprehensive documentation, and robust Service Level Agreements (SLAs). While community support can be helpful, professional support ensures expert help is always available when you need it. Consider vendors that offer CentOS extended support options to ensure the longevity and stability of your systems well beyond the standard lifecycle.

Long-term Viability: Assessing the long-term viability of a solution is essential. Consider the stability and reputation of the vendor, their commitment to regular updates for the Linux distribution, their future roadmap and the options they offer to modernize your infrastructure. A solution supported by a stable vendor with a clear vision for ongoing development ensures you won’t face another EOL situation prematurely. Choosing a long-term viable solution is critical for maintaining the security and efficiency of your enterprise’s IT infrastructure.

Why SUSE Liberty Linux is the Best Choice

SUSE Liberty Linux offers a unique solution for enterprises dealing with the end-of-life of CentOS. Unlike other alternatives, SUSE Liberty Linux does not require migration. You can keep your existing CentOS environments while continuing to receive patches and updates seamlessly, enhancing both support and future viability. This makes SUSE Liberty Linux an incredibly convenient and effective choice for businesses looking to maintain stability while improving their security and support infrastructure.

SUSE Liberty Linux excels in security by addressing an average of nine critical/important security patches each month. This proactive approach ensures your systems are always prepared to combat the latest cyber threats. With a proven track record of quickly addressing and mitigating vulnerabilities, SUSE offers a robust security framework that protects your enterprise’s data and operations long-term.

In terms of support, SUSE provides professional, 24/7 technical assistance, comprehensive documentation and extended support options to ensure the longevity and stability of your systems beyond the standard lifecycle. This guarantees expert help is available whenever you need it.

Additionally, SUSE Liberty Linux offers extensive options for modernizing your infrastructure. It allows you to deploy SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, a modern enterprise Linux distribution, at your own pace. This flexibility ensures you can upgrade and enhance your systems according to your specific needs and timeline. You get the best of both worlds: continued support for your current CentOS environments and a clear path to future advancements.

SUSE Liberty Linux’s strength is amplified by SUSE’s vibrant and engaged community. Active forums and user groups provide solutions to common problems and foster a culture of knowledge sharing.

SUSE’s 30+ years of enterprise Linux experience and clear vision for future development ensure that SUSE Liberty Linux provides a sustainable long-term solution for your current CentOS environments. Our commitment to regular updates and a solid future roadmap, including the option to upgrade to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, ensures you won’t face another EOL situation prematurely. Choosing SUSE Liberty Linux is not just a technical decision; it’s a strategic move to maintain the security and efficiency of your enterprise’s IT infrastructure.

Prepare for CentOS End-of-Life

The end-of-life of CentOS marks a pivotal moment for enterprises. As the deadline approaches, the urgency to find a reliable solution or alternative is undeniable. Evaluating new operating systems based on security, support and long-term viability is essential to safeguard your enterprise’s future.

Now is the time to act. Explore your options, assess your needs and make an informed decision to ensure your systems remain secure and efficient. Start your journey towards a stable and supported future today.

For more on how to navigate CentOS EOL, check out this comprehensive guide.

The new service pack of the SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 family has been available since today, June 26, 2024. SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6 offers the Linux solution of choice for security and compliance in reliable IT environments. This announcement includes the launch of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6, the latest version of the future-proofed, secure, and optimized Linux system, built to run business-critical workloads over the long term across the widest range of environments.

SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6

The SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6 family is here, designed to meet the most stringent security and compliance standards while delivering unparalleled reliability for your IT infrastructure.

Whether you are running mission-critical applications, modern containerized workloads, or edge deployments, the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6 and the recently launched SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 6.0 are the optimal choices for businesses that demand the best.

The SUSE Linux Enterprise family includes:

• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP6
• SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP6
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP6
• Extensions
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP6
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP6
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP6
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Long Term Service Pack Support 15 SP6
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Long Term Service Pack Support Core 15 SP6

New versions of SUSE Linux Enterprise Base Container Images based on SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6 are also available.

Most Reliable and Future-Proof

Uninterrupted Operation for Reliable Business-Critical IT

The SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6 (SLES 15 SP6) ensures your business operations run smoothly with its industry-leading support lifecycle. Built SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 is built to sustain long-term workloads, it offers the longest enterprise Linux lifecycle in the industry. With a focus on maximizing uptime, it integrates advanced features like Live Patching and High Availability (HA) to minimize downtime and ensure continuous operation.

Commitment to Live Patching and High Availability

Our commitment to live patching allows you to apply critical updates without rebooting, ensuring your systems remain secure without interrupting your business operations. The Premium High Availability feature guarantees that your systems are always up and running, no matter the circumstances.

Highest Certification and Seamless Compatibility

The SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6 family boasts the highest certifications available, making it the trusted choice for industries with strict compliance requirements. Its seamless compatibility with cutting-edge hardware ensures you can leverage the latest technologies as they emerge.

With the Longest Support

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 has a committed lifecycle until 2037. With 19 years of support since its release, SUSE provides a safe platform to deploy your long-term applications today, ensuring that your IT investment is safe in the longest term.

Runs Anywhere

Versatile Deployment Across All Environments

The SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6 family offers unmatched versatility, from traditional on-premise deployments to cloud and edge environments. It supports a consistent code base across various platforms, ensuring smooth operation whether running on Arm, x86, s390x, or Power architectures.

Container and Virtualization Host Support

The SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6 is optimized for modern workloads, including containers and virtualization. It supports container images, libraries, and development environments, allowing you to build and deploy applications efficiently. With specialized optimizations for workloads like SAP, this suite ensures the highest performance and reliability for your critical applications.

Secure and Compliant

Building a Secure and Compliant Infrastructure

The SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6 family provides a robust foundation for a secure and compliant IT environment. It helps de-risk compliance assurance and minimizes liability associated with open-source software usage.
Certification-Evaluated Secure Software Supply Chain.  The former blog explains why “An Enterprise Linux Platform is the choice for Security and Compliance in IT˝.

Certification-Evaluated Secure Software Supply Chain

SUSE’s software supply chain, in which SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6 family is build, has been evaluated at EAL4+, ensuring a secure and trustworthy infrastructure. This includes all the SUSE deliverables not only the Linux OS but also his patches and other open-source components provided by SUSE, like container images, development tools, and libraries.

Advanced Security Features

With enhanced Confidential Computing capabilities, like the added support to Intel TDX in Azure, the SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6 family protects sensitive data across hosts and guests. It also includes comprehensive security certifications and hardening practices, providing best-practice guides to ensure your systems are secure. To learn more about Confidential Computing and how SUSE Linux Enterprise Server can help you to ensure your innovation and safeguard your systems read the blog “Confidential Computing. Enabling enterprise innovation while securing your data.”

SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing SP6

SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP6 is now delivered as a module of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6, adding to all the new capabilities and features of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server the packages that are needed for any HPC environment.

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP6

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP6 (SLES for SAP 15 SP6) is the next service patch of the leading OS for a secure and reliable SAP platform. Endorsed for SAP implementations, it future-proofs SAP projects, offering uninterrupted business operations while minimizing operational risks and costs. As the secure foundation for SAP projects, from the data center to the SAP cloud, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications is the preferred choice of SAP customers and partners. It provides a proven OS designed to secure SAP project investments, ensuring the continuous operation of SAP infrastructure and simplifying SAP IT operations. This platform guarantees the highest certifications, aligns with best practices, and offers long-term support for the most demanding SAP scenarios.

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 15 SP6 is adding:

• New Trento capabilities to safeguard your SAP systems. It adds Saptune web integration and new configuration check capabilities at the host level and for ASCS/ERS clusters. In this last version, Trento can be installed on non-Kubernetes environments. Also, it adds scanning of available software updates (via integration with SUSE Manager).
• SAP HANA High Availability
• Newly developed HANA resource agents (SAPHanaSR-angi) with new features: SAPHanaTopology, SAPHana, and/or SAPHanaController become infrastructure awareness, reacting on infrastructure failures that are not handled by SAPHanaSR, e.g., NFS filesystem issues
• Improving SAP virtualization support with new validations for HANA on KVM for specific hardware combinations
• Support for Ansible playbooks for SAP deployment, which will be available in PackageHub

New versions of SUSE Linux Enterprise Base Container Images

With the release of SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6, we are excited to announce the availability of new versions of SUSE Linux Enterprise Base Container Images. These updated container images bring all the benefits of the latest SUSE Linux Enterprise release, ensuring your containerized environments are as secure, compliant, and reliable as your traditional IT infrastructure. You can download the SUSE Linux Enterprise Base Container Images from the trusted SUSE registry.

What’s New in SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6

Major Kernel Update and Hardware Refreshment

The SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6 family features a major kernel update to version 6.4, providing significant enhancements in performance and security. This update includes a comprehensive hardware and drivers refresh and optimizations for Intel, AMD, Arm, NVidia, IBM Power, and IBM Z platforms.

• Memory Management Upgrades and File System Improvements
  SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6 offers advanced memory management upgrades and file systems improvements, ensuring more efficient resource utilization and better performance for your critical workloads.
• Networking Performance Improvements
  Networking performance has been significantly enhanced in SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6, providing faster and more reliable network operations across various environments.
• Support for Intel’s Eagle Stream and Birch Stream Platforms
  The latest Intel Eagle Stream and Birch Stream platforms are fully supported, ensuring you can leverage the latest advancements in Intel technology for your IT infrastructure.

Enhanced Security Features

SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6 introduces several new security features, including future-proof encryption support with post-quantum cryptography (OpenSSL 3.1) and a 4096-bit signing key. It complies with governmental standards such as Common Criteria (CC) and FIPS 140-3, ensuring your systems meet the highest security requirements.

• Confidential Computing Enhancements
  Confidential Computing is now supported both as a guest and host, with added support for Intel TDX in Azure. There is also a tech preview of host support for Intel TDX and AMD SEV SNP, providing enhanced data protection across various environments.
• post-quantum cryptography
  With OpenSSL 3.1 and a 4096-bit signing key.
• Enhanced Security Configurations
  SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6 includes enhanced security configurations, providing best-practice guides and robust hardening practices to secure your IT infrastructure.

Other upgrades

• Streamlined Development
  Development is more streamlined than ever, with toolchains and libraries on par with upstream, updated container tooling, and enhanced base container images. The SLE BCI base container images are now fully supported, with recent versions and new application images added.
• Updates of Key Components
  Key components have been updated, including:
  Kernel 6.4,  Glibc 2.38, OpenSSL 3.1 (default), OpenSSH 9.6, Systemd v254, using cgroups v2 by default (v1 still available). Other stacks across the board, including virtualization and Samba, have also been upgraded.
• Upgraded Databases for Improved Performance and Reliability
  MariaDB 10.11, PostgreSQL 17, and Redis 7.2
• New development tools and environments include:
  PHP 8.2, Node.js 20, OpenJDK 21, always the latest Go and Rust (Continuous updates of Rust and Go toolchains) and Python 3.6 + 3.11 (Recent 3.11 Python version supported in parallel to the system Python 3.6)

Conclusion

The just released Service Pack 6 for the SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 family, which includes the leading SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications operating systems and the extensions, is the choice for organizations looking to deploy today’s long-term business-critical workloads to obtain a more secure IT infrastructure while ensuring high availability and seamless compatibility across various environments. Its robust feature set, combined with industry-leading support and certifications, makes it the go-to solution to future-proof your business operations. Experience the next level of security, compliance, and reliability with the SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP6 family.

For more info, visit https://www.suse.com/server

Kyndryl, the world’s largest IT infrastructure services provider, was recognised by SUSE at this years Global Partner Summit just prior to SUSECON, as being a rising star with global impact. Kyndryl serves thousands of enterprise customers across more than 60 countries. They design, build, manage, and modernize complex, mission-critical information systems that the world depends on every day. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) is a critical component for Kyndryl as they migrate, modernize and run over 1000 customers’ SAP environments across public, hybrid and private cloud.

With over 1,500 specialists trained in SAP, Kyndryl has modernized hundreds of customer SAP customer platforms in the last three years. This achievement is a testament to their unwavering dedication to skills development and delivery excellence.

The significance of this award goes beyond mere recognition. It symbolizes the transformative impact that Kyndryl have on shaping the future of technology and business. By embracing certifications that elevate their skill sets and adapting to meet the dynamic needs of customers. The award exemplifies the spirit of innovation and collaboration that defines the SUSE ecosystem.

This blog will discuss the challenge of maintaining data security, sovereignty, and compliance. This discussion has evolved with the growth of multi-tenant environments and the widespread use of public cloud services, which has brought about new challenges in data security. We will explore the significance of Confidential Computing and how it addresses the concerns of data breaches and its vital role in safeguarding sensitive information and ensuring compliance with local regulations.

Introduction

As the digital landscape evolves, data security is becoming increasingly important. Enterprises worldwide face the complexity of protecting sensitive information. At the same time, data sovereignty has become a popular term and is concerned with the rise of IT, which has moved out of the local data center and begun to spread across the globe with the increasing adoption of public cloud.

How can we ensure data sovereignty and safety? Also, how can I ensure compliance with local norms and regulations while minimizing liability? These questions are hurdling enterprise innovation and retraining the adoption of new technologies.

Challenges in Modern Data Security

Traditionally, data security measures have relied on encryption techniques to safeguard data stored on physical media (data at rest) and data transmitted over networks (data in transit). These measures ensured that unauthorized actors could not access sensitive information, even if they managed to intercept it. However, the rise of multi-tenant environments and the widespread adoption of public cloud services have introduced new challenges. In these settings, memory and processors are shared resources, making it crucial to protect data while it is being processed or in use.

A data breach occurs when an unauthorized actor accesses your data or, even worse, is able to change it; thus, to safeguard the data, the focus is on the shared resources in which your data can be accessed. Hence, traditional data security measures were founded on encryption at rest and in transit to safeguard data. With a focus on storage and the network, enterprises ensured that data couldn’t be accessed by unauthorized actors. However, with the rise of multi-tenant environments, especially with the public cloud, memory and processors have become shared resources, and data in use has become a big concern.

The Significance of Confidential Computing

Confidential Computing (CoCo) is about data security and compliance, focusing on protecting data anywhere, not just at rest or in transit but also during its active use. This addresses the concerns of data breaches, where unauthorized actors gain access to sensitive information and potentially cause severe harm to individuals and organizations alike.

A Confidential Computing Environment (CCE) is a secure computing environment designed to protect data in use. It leverages specialized hardware and software technologies to ensure that sensitive data remains protected even while being processed, and it is also essential to have attestation capabilities for compliance assessment. By leveraging technologies such as Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) and hardware-based attestation, confidential computing provides secure processing where data is encrypted in memory and in the CPU and can be processed without exposure to other system components or external threats. This approach together not only enhances data security but also helps organizations meet stringent compliance requirements by providing verifiable assurances of data protection.

Confidential Computing Environment secures an enterprise workload based on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server running in a potentially compromised multi-tenant environment encrypting data in use.

Attestation and compliance

Running encrypted is just one side of Confidential Computing. We still need to trust our environment provider (like our hyperscaler) when he claims that the environment is secure and safe, but it is only a statement without any proof, and compliance assurance needs to be based on evidence.

This is where (remote) attestation starts. Attestation is providing Trust to the Confidential Computing Environment; it is the proof needed by enterprises that data and processes are running in a safe environment. Attestation verifies the integrity and authenticity of the Confidential Computing environment. Hence, it ensures that the code is running in the Trusted Execution Environment and is executing as expected. In order to accomplish this, the process is done with the collaboration of the hardware and operating systems, which certify with a digital signature of both providers that, at this point in time, the operating system is running on the hardware that it is supposed to run on, and is encrypting the data in use. This removes the “blind trust” in the computing environment from the equation.

Enterprises can use attestation as proof that the Confidential Computing environment is secure and, therefore, check it also before sensitive data or workloads are sent to be processed. Furthermore, it can be checked regularly and stored as a compliance assessment.

The attestation process ensures the Confidential Computing Environment state of an enterprise workload based on SUSE Linux Enterprise protecting data in use.

SUSE’s Commitment to Confidential Computing

We have been discussing what a Confidential Computing Environment and Attestation is and what is needed to leverage it. The answer is simple: a trusted hardware provider that provides a chip ready for a Trusted Execution Environment and a trusted Operating System that enables the operation and is able to provide the tools for the attestation.

At SUSE, we recognize the critical importance of securing data at every stage of its lifecycle. SUSE is committed to the security of our customers, and our solutions are designed to integrate seamlessly with confidential computing technologies, providing enterprises with the highest levels of security without compromising on performance or usability.

SUSE joined the Linux Foundation’s Confidential Computing Consortium, a community focused on projects that deal with securing data in use and accelerating the adoption of confidential computing through open collaboration. Also, SUSE collaborates closely with chip providers, such as AMD, Arm, and Intel, to enable Confidential computing on Linux, which is one of the main contributors in that area.

Leverage Confidential Computing-ready with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server products

SUSE enables the use of Trusted Execution Environments in SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro, supporting and adding a consistent roadmap of support for Intel® TDX and AMD® SEV technologies for guests and hosts.

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server also works with the Secure Execution technology of IBM Z and IBM LinuxONE systems. For more info about it you can read the Confidential Computing with SUSE Linux Enterprise Base Container Images Using the IBM Hyper Protect Platform webpage.

First, SUSE is providing fully supported, Confidential Computing-enabled SUSE Linux Enterprise Server instances on the marketplace of Confidential Computing hyperscalers like Microsoft Azure, with its new Intel TDX-based instances, or Amazon Web Services Nitro Instances or Google Cloud, with its AMD SEV-ready environments.

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro are also adding capabilities to run as a Confidential Computing-ready virtualization host platform with KVM to enable enterprises and MSPs to create their own private Confidential Computing-ready environments based on Linux virtualization.

Furthermore, thanks to the new hardware capabilities, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server optimization minimizes the impact of Confidential computing performance, making any workload leverage a more secure processing environment with negligible impact on performance.

Confidential Computing-ready Attestation with SUSE Manager

As a step forward in the enterprise adoption of confidential computing, SUSE is also adding Confidential Computing attestation capabilities to SUSE Manager to ensure compliance. With SUSE Manager’s new attestation capabilities, together with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro, enterprises can leverage Confidential Computing by proving that the remote environment is running in a Confidential Computing environment for compliance.

Use Cases

• Financial Services: For financial institutions, Confidential Computing is crucial in protecting sensitive financial data during transactions and analytics.
  SUSE’s solution helps banks and financial services companies deploy their server in compliance with regulatory requirements and maintain customer trust.
• Healthcare: In the healthcare sector, protecting patient data is paramount. SUSE’s Confidential Computing-enabled products ensure that enterprises can run their systems anywhere while sensitive health information remains secure during processing, supporting compliance with regulations like HIPAA.
• Government and Public Sector: Government agencies handle vast amounts of sensitive data that require stringent security measures. SUSE’s solutions provide the software infrastructure to ensure Data Sovereignty, enabling secure data processing and aiding in the protection of national security and citizen privacy.

Conclusion

As organizations continue to navigate the complexities of the digital age, SUSE remains at the forefront, providing innovative and robust security open-source solutions that empower businesses to operate securely and efficiently. Confidential computing is not just another technology; it is mandatory to keep enterprise innovation capabilities while keeping data sovereign.

SUSE’s enhanced portfolio with Confidential Computing capabilities and SUSE’s commitment to improving it provides choice to enterprises, giving freedom to innovate and leverage new environments to any enterprises, including those highly regulated industries that until now can’t use the public cloud for their confidential data.

In conclusion, SUSE’s commitment to Confidential Computing enables enterprises, government organizations, healthcare operations, and Service Providers to use shared computing capabilities in a much more robust and secure way than it has been possible in the past.

This blog post continues the previous one and aims to provide insight into why An Enterprise Linux Platform is the choice for Security and Compliance in IT. Hence, it describes the impact of using a long-term supported Enterprise Linux with certifications from a provider with an evaluated secure software supply chain and its importance in security, compliance, and minimizing liability for using open-source software.

Further technical information can be found on the Confidential Cloud: Introduction to Confidential Computing and SUSE open-sources Secure VM Service Module for Confidential Computing blogs and in the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro product webpages.