MicroCloud - the power of cloud anywhere you need it

Straightforward and lightweight, but featureful.
MicroClouds serve compute near consumers, wherever they may be.

Deploy a fully functional cloud in minutes

$ snap install mic

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 optimised 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.

What is the size of a MicroCloud?

MicroClouds are highly available by default, so a minimum of 3 systems are needed.
They can easily extend in site size and scale from a small 3-node to larger 12-node clusters.

Best-of-breed open-source components

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.

Check the datasheet for an overview of LXD’s features.

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.

Get familiar with Ceph.

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.

OVN has numerous relevant networking features that you can read more about.

Key features

Highly available cluster deploys in minutes
Automatic security updates and streamlined upgrades
For multi-tenant environments: remote authentication, RBAC, projects and multi-user setup

Runs virtual machines, or system containers for higher density
Easily replicated at scale
Fully open-source, with commercial support available through Canonical

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

Read more about MicroClouds for the edge in this whitepaper

Small-scale private cloud

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 small-scale private cloud needs.

Resource-efficient to keep costs at bay
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

Setting up a dev environment with LXD offers some useful tips.

Integrate with the best hardware vendors

Ubuntu works with a number of hardware vendors specialised in edge computing server equipment. Contact us to discuss working with your preferred vendors.

All the benefits of a cloud, but localised

MicroClouds are low-touch, efficient and reliable. Do you have a use case in mind? Get in touch with our team.