Amazon Web Services (AWS) is now offering On Demand, Reserved, and Spot instances for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 & 11 in all Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) regions and availability zones. But why should businesses, developers and software vendors care?

1. Simple purchasing process: Nobody likes added steps when shopping online. That's why you can quickly buy a SUSE Linux Enterprise Server instance on Amazon EC2 without forming a separate agreement with Novell. Want to deploy a different enterprise Linux distro on EC2? Have fun going out to that vendor's website, navigate the fine print in all their purchasing options (good luck finding pricing), and deal with a separate purchase process.

2. Images built in minutes: SUSE Studio will soon provide the fastest on-ramp to the cloud with new support for Amazon EC2 (AMI) images. SUSE Studio makes it fast and easy to develop and deploy application stacks, virtual appliances and custom SUSE Linux Enterprise Server builds on Amazon EC2. What's more, it's free! Check it out today and join our community of innovation with more than 85,000 users.

3. More applications: With 6,000+ applications certified on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (more than twice as many as any other Linux distro), it is easier for you to run the applications you need where you need them whether in physical, virtual, or cloud environments. These application certifications for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server apply to Amazon EC2 instances as well.

4. Straightforward maintenance and support: All SUSE Linux Enterprise Server instances on Amazon EC2 include maintenance, so you have access to the most recent security patches, bug fixes, and features. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server images are automatically registered with Novell update servers in Amazon EC2's infrastructure, so you will not incur Amazon data charges for updates. Plus, if you need technical support, you can purchase priority support entitlements for your instances from Novell by following the link on the Amazon EC2 running SUSE Linux Enterprise detail page on the AWS website.

5. Clear pricing: Amazon EC2 running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server gives you a pay-as-you-go model with no long-term commitments or minimum fees. Amazon EC2 running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server costs up to 40 percent less than other enterprise Linux offerings, without additional monthly fees.

What are the first workloads you're going to deploy on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server on EC2?

Novell is actively making cloud computing a reality. This week, IBM announced an extended agreement with Amazon to deliver a wide variety of solutions on a “pay-as-you-go” model, including SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. The solutions will be provided through the Amazon Elastic Cloud, giving businesses new ways to quickly build, deploy and take advantage of the tremendous flexibility that cloud computing environments can bring.