Canonical supports, secures, and manages Ubuntu infrastructure and devices for millions of users
Founded in 2004, Canonical is the company behind the Linux distribution Ubuntu, which runs everything from tiny connected devices to the world's biggest mainframes, helps secure and optimize public cloud instances, and drives the workstation experience of productive developers around the globe.
Microsoft and Canonical started their partnership in 2014 with the goal of delivering an Azure-optimized kernel, improved performance, advanced security, automatic updates, and flexible pricing. Listing its Ubuntu Server and Ubuntu Pro offerings on the Azure Marketplace was a natural fit for Canonical.
“Our collaboration with Microsoft on Azure extends from engineering collaboration at the kernel level all the way up to working together on how Canonical’s offerings can be best presented to our joint users," said Aaron Whitehouse, Senior Public Cloud Enablement Director, Canonical. “The work we have done on joint marketing has been important, both in building awareness of Canonical’s products in emerging regions for Canonical and understanding the acquisition funnel for Azure Marketplace purchasers.”
Developing an Azure-first sales mentality with the help of Marketplace Rewards
With most Linux users on Azure using Ubuntu, Canonical saw an increased need to present its solutions to customers across multiple industries with initiatives spanning application modernization, containerization, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and high-performance computing while meeting internal governance and regulatory compliance requirements.
The Azure Marketplace has become Canonical's preferred method for delivering products and services on Azure. Transacting via the marketplace enables customers to leverage Azure-based metering and billing along with enhanced security and compliance offerings while streamlining the procurement process and decreasing time to value. Additionally, Azure Marketplace private offers have become a primary joint sales enabler for Canonical, allowing it to engage large enterprise customers to deliver custom terms, volume price discounting, and end user customer support SLAs.
Canonical has participated in several Marketplace Rewards benefits, starting with listing optimizations that improved traffic and searchability for its marketplace listings. The company has coordinated strong co-marketing campaigns with Microsoft, including a Middle East & Africa campaign that led to a 3.8X increase in Azure Consumed Revenue (ACR) and a Central & Eastern Europe campaign resulting in a 400 percent growth in ACR. Marketplace Rewards and the Azure Marketplace have helped produced an overall shift in Canonical’s sales motions to develop an Azure-first mentality and reduce the barrier to entry for its rapidly expanding customer base on Azure.