Canonical Ltd. has teamed up with Nexenta Systems Inc. to create a combined Ubuntu OpenStack and NexentaEdge solution.

The two firms have integrated two existing products – Ubuntu’s Juju service model for automating application deployment and management, and NexentaEdge, a combined block and object access storage software offering. This new joint solution provides seamless integration with Canonical OpenStack clouds while using NexentaEdge as its storage solution.

Announcing the new integration, the two companies said more than half of all OpenStack deployments in the world are based on Ubuntu. That’s good for Canonical, because Forrester Research recently said that OpenStack is fast becoming the dominant platform for private clouds, which are essentially on-premises data centers offering cloud features and services.

OpenStack already counts a bunch of heavyweight enterprise users, including Volkswagen AG, which recently said it was using Mirantis Inc.’s OpenStack platform to support internal and consumer-facing applications, connecting itself with its dealers and suppliers. That was a big win for OpenStack, as the setup will involve dozens of data centers and thousands of accessing nodes. In addition, OpenStack also counts customers like AT&T Inc., BMW AG, Ericsson Ltd., GAP Inc. and Walmart.

Canonical says it chose to work with Nexenta because it wanted to develop a comprehensive OpenStack offering, with Nexenta providing the “technical expertise and assistance in optimising scale-out and scale-up workloads including ZFS for Ubuntu.”

“Nexenta is a commercial leader in software-defined storage and we are delighted to offer their comprehensive solutions to our enterprise OpenStack customers, and in addition, to collaborate on optimizing ZFS for Ubuntu,” said Mark Shuttleworth, founder, Canonical. “Together, we’re combining the benefits of OpenStack and software-defined storage to deliver flexibility unparalleled by anyone else on the market.”

Those who’re interested can buy NexentaEdge directly from Canonical’s Juju Charm Store, or alternatively from a Canonical partner or sales rep.

Image credit: Canonical