BitNami is known for packaging open source apps.  It’s a pretty handy service. A customer can run a BitNami app package on Amazon Web Services (AWS) and other public cloud environments. In all, BitNami has  a library of more than 40 pre-configured, ready-to-run packages of popular open source applications and development environments.

Now BitNami is turning its attention to the enterprise with a package of 20 apps and development environments that include Drupal, Alfresco, WordPress, SugarCRM, Liferay, Ruby on Rails, Tomcat, LAMP and JBoss.

The package can run in a private cloud or virtualized environment. It is available in cloud environments such as vCloud, Eucalyptus and OpenStack build outs.

BitNami has built its reputation upon its sound integration with AWS. That has in turn given it a foundation to launch its service across multiple types of platforms.

The arrival of BitNami services to the private cloud gives IT a simple way to run apps that it can manage and control. It provides users with well-known apps that have strong followings.  Further, IT can control the use of the apps and who gets permissions. Does that mean a decrease in shadow IT? Perhaps.

We’ll give BitNami points for allowing the quick set up of a private cloud app store. And for understanding the slow nature of the enterprise. It’s not all cloud, all the time. It’s about the race to the middle – the shift to the cloud but not too extreme. BitNami’s offering gives IT the benefits of the cloud but the comfort of knowing its integrated into the enterprise.

Here’s what Krishnan Subramanian said to me in an email today:

Bitnami face stiff competition in the market not just from other vendors with similar offerings but also from some of the cloud management players entering app lifecycle management. More interestingly, the PaaS providers like Appfog who offer similar features as a part of their core offerings. But their move into the enterprise bodes them well as they are solving one of their major painpoints. The segment is highly competitive and we need to wait and see how it plays out.

BitNami has a core community and a service people depend on for offering app packages. But it is an increasingly competitive space. They compete with companies such as rPath and increasingly with cloud service providers. These providers are not direct competitors but have the capabilities to offer similar services.