SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server 16: Shaping the Future of Enterprise IT

With over two decades of experience in providing enterprise-grade Linux solutions, SUSE® has continually pushed the boundaries of what open-source platforms can offer to businesses. SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server 16 (SLES 16), set to launch in 2025, is the next step in this journey, setting new standards for security, adaptability, and performance. Every aspect of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16 is being designed with a clear focus on the customer, ensuring that the platform will address real-world needs and help enterprises navigate the complexities of modern IT environments.

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16 marks an important milestone in SUSE Linux’s journey, arriving seven years after the release of SLES 15. With SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15’s lifecycle extended until 2037, SUSE is providing a seamless transition for organizations to continue leveraging and extending their existing and new investments in IT. SLES 16—alongside SUSE Linux Micro—represents an evolution in architecture that enables customers to unlock new benefits and stay competitive, with SUSE’s long-standing commitments to security, compliance, stability, and performance.

Additionally, SUSE is reinforcing its dedication to SAP customers with SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 16, designed as the best operating system for mission-critical SAP infrastructure. Building on the proven success of SLES for SAP Applications 15, this version aims to enhance performance, stability, and scalability specifically for SAP workloads, ensuring seamless support and optimized performance for SAP landscapes. SUSE Linux High Availability has long been integrated into SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications, making the most critical SAP HANA environments fully available and allowing business-critical applications to run without downtime worldwide.

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16 is being developed to meet the needs of current SUSE customers and to provide innovation to non-SUSE customers, with a smooth transition for organizations currently using other enterprise or unsupported Linux distributions. SLES 16 aims to unify and support diverse IT environments, delivering a reliable, adaptable platform that brings continuity and new capabilities to a broad range of users.

Inclusivity and Continuity for All Enterprises

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16 is developed with a user-centered approach, providing continuity for current customers and a welcoming path for new users. This commitment underscores SUSE’s dedication to supporting both existing users and those transitioning from other platforms.

• Continuity for Current SUSE Linux Customers and Enterprise Workloads: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16 is committed to providing continuity for existing SUSE Linux customers, ensuring a seamless upgrade path from SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 with extended support and backward compatibility. By maintaining familiar tools, standards, and workflows, SUSE is making it easier for current customers to transition smoothly, protecting their existing investments and helping them adopt new features at their own pace. This continuity applies to both traditional enterprise workloads, such as databases and critical applications, and emerging cloud-native workloads, offering reliable, enterprise-grade support across the full spectrum of deployment needs.
• Leverage Linux Innovation for All Enterprises with a Better Linux: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16 is being developed to provide both continuity and innovation for current SUSE Linux users, including SAP customers, while also delivering a smooth transition for organizations using other enterprise or unsupported Linux distributions. This commitment to inclusivity ensures that SLES 16 is accessible to both current users and those migrating from other platforms, bringing the benefits of Linux innovation to a wide spectrum of enterprises. Cloud-native workloads running on SUSE Linux will also benefit from the security, stability, and support of an enterprise-grade Linux, enabling organizations to confidently deploy modern applications on a robust, managed foundation.

Core Drivers of SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server 16

At the heart of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16 are several high-level drivers that guide its design and development. These guiding principles, rooted in SUSE’s commitment to customer-centric innovation, ensure that the new version will meet the needs of enterprises both today and well into the future:

• Ubiquity – “Anywhere and Any Way”: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16 is being designed to run “Anywhere and Any Way.” Whether on the edge, in the cloud, on physical servers, in virtual environments, or in containerized deployments, SLES 16 will support enterprises wherever they choose to deploy their workloads. This flexibility is a direct response to customer needs, allowing organizations to adapt effortlessly to changes in technology and business demands. Furthermore, SLES 16 is being developed to leverage the latest hardware enhancements throughout its lifecycle, ensuring optimal performance on new infrastructure advancements.
• Continuity – Securing Long-Term IT Investments: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16 is engineered to protect the long-term investments of customers. The platform is designed to support enterprises’ IT needs well into the future, with a lifecycle adapted to manage both legacy and emerging workloads. This adaptability provides businesses with a reliable foundation that enables innovation while maintaining stability for critical operations.
• Long-term Trust – Future-Proof Infrastructure Designed for Longevity: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16 is engineered to support the long-term IT investments of enterprises with a platform built for enduring stability and adaptability. Understanding that infrastructure needs evolve, SUSE has designed SLES 16 to manage both legacy and emerging workloads across diverse environments—including hybrid and multi-cloud. Additionally, with a 64-bit time architecture, SLES 16 addresses the 2038 Unix epoch problem, ensuring reliable operation well beyond 2038 and enabling organizations to confidently rely on SLES 16 for extended, future-proof deployments.
• Business-Critical Linux – Ensure Business Continuity: With enhanced SUSE Linux technologies like High Availability and Live Patching for both kernel and user-space applications, SLES 16 supports the continuous operation of essential workloads, ensuring resilience and business continuity even under demanding conditions while minimizing operational costs and risks.
• Security and Compliance: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16 is designed to achieve the highest levels of industry-standard certifications, continuing SUSE’s legacy of delivering certified enterprise solutions, as seen with SLES 15. This focus on compliance enables SLES 16 to meet regulatory requirements across multiple industries, giving organizations confidence to deploy it in even the most sensitive environments. Additionally, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16 is developed to provide a secure enterprise environment with robust technical features like SELinux for comprehensive system protection. SUSE’s commitment to delivering the highest levels of security ensures that SLES 16 customers benefit from a resilient and safe operating environment to protect their critical workloads.

Key Topics for SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server 16

• Extended Lifecycle and Support: SUSE recognizes the importance of predictability and long-term support for enterprises. Therefore, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16 aims to offer the longest lifecycle, and will coexist with SUSE Linux Enterprise 15, which is providing up to 19+ year support lifecycle. This extended commitment gives organizations confidence in their investment with assured access to updates, patches, and technical support, ensuring customer stability and investment protection over the long term.
• Optimized Performance for Modern Workloads: As organizations adopt more resource-intensive applications, SUSE is focused on optimizing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16 for high-performance computing (HPC), AI/ML, and big data. This includes enhancements to memory management, GPU support, and containerization, all designed to meet the unique demands of customers working with modern, data-intensive applications.
• Unified Support for Traditional and Cloud-Native Workloads: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16 is designed to support both traditional, business-critical applications—such as databases and enterprise software like SAP—and modern, containerized, cloud-native workloads. This dual capability allows enterprises to consolidate workloads on a single platform, whether they are running legacy systems or microservices-based architectures.
• Container and Cloud-Native Support: To support the rise of DevOps and cloud-native development, SUSE is prioritizing strong compatibility with containerized application management. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16 will be delivered to run in containerized environments, with SUSE Linux Base Container Images, providing an enterprise-grade foundation for containerized development. SLES 16 will support microservices and containerized workloads across diverse environments, enabling customers to leverage cloud-native architectures without locking them into specific platforms.
• Unified Management with SUSE Multi-Linux Manager: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16 is built to work seamlessly with SUSE Multi-Linux Manager, SUSE’s robust management tool. This integration will allow IT teams to manage both SUSE and other Linux distributions from a single interface, simplifying administration and lowering management costs across heterogeneous environments—an advantage that directly reflects SUSE’s focus on customer efficiency and operational simplicity.
• Pathway to Modernization: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16 is designed to facilitate modernization without requiring immediate, disruptive migrations. With SUSE Multi-Linux Support, organizations will be able to secure their existing infrastructure while planning and transitioning to modern solutions at their own pace. This gradual approach reflects SUSE’s dedication to supporting customers on their unique modernization journeys.

Looking Ahead

To learn how SUSE Linux Enterprise Server can empower your organization, visit SUSE’s website or contact our team today. With the exciting launch of SLES 16 planned for 2025, stay tuned for more news about the thrilling future of SUSE Linux. Discover the latest developments and see how SLES 16’s powerful capabilities will meet your IT needs, anywhere and in any way.