Open source scalable cloud infrastructure
Straightforward, lightweight, and featureful. MicroClouds serve compute near consumers, wherever they may be.
Get in touch Read our guide to MicroCloud
What is a MicroCloud?
Fast and scalable cloud infrastructure
“Currently we have 200 students; we’re aiming to grow to 2,000 in
4 or 5 years. I think MicroCloud is a great opportunity for us, as it can
scale very easily for our goals.
We are only three or four guys inside the Infrastructure team. What we wanted
was a single interface to manage everything, so that even one person can do
this work. It was also very, very, very important for us that the solution
would be compatible with the hardware we got in the past. And that’s why we
moved onto MicroCloud.”
Hugo Adjamagbo
IT Infrastructure and Security Architect
Université de l’Ontario Français
Deploy a fully functional, scalable cloud in minutes:
Automated deployment
MicroClouds are built with simplicity and automation in mind. With MicroClouds, both deployment and on-site operations are automated with low to no on-site maintenance, regardless of whether you're running it at the back of the office or at a hard-to-reach remote edge site.
Secure with hassle-free updates
While smaller in scale, your MicroClouds will still likely process big amounts of data. They may also run sensitive workloads. Security and prompt vulnerability updates are the key priorities to ensure your data is kept safe. MicroCloud components are packaged using snaps, providing an extra layer of isolation while enabling worry-free updates.
Cost and resource efficient
In addition to standard Ubuntu Server or Desktop, MicroClouds can also be run on Ubuntu Core – a lightweight OS optimized for the edge. Combined with Ubuntu Core, users get a truly lightweight cloud, giving you resource efficiency without compromising on performance, while keeping costs at bay.
Download the MicroCloud datasheet
What is the size of a MicroCloud?
MicroClouds start with a single node, but at least 3 nodes are recommended for high availability.
They can easily extend in site size and scale from a single node to larger 50-node clusters.
Best-of-breed open-source components
LXD
LXD is a modern infrastructure tool that has everything you need to run your virtualised workloads. In addition to regular VMs, users can run their workloads using system containers that behave similarly but consume fewer resources while providing bare-metal performance.
LXD is image-based. It supports a wide range of Linux distributions, as well as Windows VMs, and has a good mix of cloud-like features.
Ceph
Ceph has become a de facto standard for open-source storage solutions. It provides interfaces for several storage types (block, file and object) within a single cluster, eliminating the need for multiple storage solutions. It is scalable and reliable, making it the perfect solution for any cloud.
OVN
OVN is a trusted open source software-defined networking solution. It provides virtual network abstractions, such as virtual L2 and L3 overlays, security groups, DHCP and other networking services. It was designed to support highly scalable and production-grade implementations.
Key features
- Highly available cluster deploys in minutes.
- Automatic security updates and streamlined upgrades.
- Runs virtual machines, or system containers for higher density.
- Remote authentication, fine grained access control, projects and multi-user setup.
- Easily replicated at scale.
- Fully open source, commercial support available with Ubuntu Pro.
MicroCloud use cases
Edge computing at a large scale
Industrial, telco, retail, banking – MicroClouds are the perfect edge computing solution for any industry:
- Scalable and low-latency HA cluster for critical applications.
- Lightweight to run on small servers or low-cost small devices.
- Low-touch, self-healing, few to no human interactions needed.
Scalable cloud infrastructure
Do you need to keep sensitive workloads in a controlled environment, or are public cloud costs too unpredictable for your business?
MicroClouds are an efficient solution for your needs:
- Resource-efficient to lower costs.
- Simple to deploy and operate.
- Easy to scale as your needs grow.
Efficient dev environment
MicroCloud is lightweight enough that it can run on a developer laptop. You can use it for:
- Lightweight and constrained disposable testing environments.
- Simulating or testing complex infrastructure processes.
- Simulating how your workloads would run in production.
- Safely experimenting with new technologies.
Integrate with the best hardware vendors
Ubuntu works with a number of hardware vendors specialized in edge computing server equipment.
Contact us to discuss working with your preferred vendors.
All the benefits of a cloud, but localized