Despite being treated like a stepchild due to the presence of heavyweights like RHEL, CentOS, SLES and the BSD Brothers, Ubuntu Server has consistently improved over the years.

As of version 10.04, Ubuntu Server 10.04 makes the perfect choice for running your servers in a corporate environment with low to medium loads.

In this article, I try to list ten reasons why you would like to use Ubuntu Server 10.04 in your corporate server environment.

1. The latest software – While old and stable is the tried and true motto of the server world, Ubuntu Server generally uses the latest available versions of all software unless there are serious security issues or stability regressions. It becomes quite useful if, and when, you need support for running the latest PHP apps. CentOS 5's PHP is so old that almost no modern PHP apps can be hosted on their stock PHP.

2. Integration with the cloud – Integration with the Amazon EC2 cloud puts a giant – well, cloud – under your control. You can harness its raw power to do almost anything – from hosting data hungry websites to harnessing the processing power of the cloud to do some distributed computing, the list is endless.

3. Light and fast – Ubuntu Server's default install is much leaner and aeons faster than that of CentOS 5. The lack of a GUI may be a put-off, but you can easily install the Ubuntu, Kubuntu or Xubuntu desktop packages to get a GUI complete with System Configuration tools. Even with all of that, it's still way faster.

4. Likes Microsoft Networks – Ubuntu Server goes to great lengths to make inter-op with Microsoft Networks easier. The official documentation clearly outlines how to integrate a Ubuntu server with Active Directory. Likewise-Open is a tool that is included just to make Active Directory integration much easier. Samba provides Windows File and Print services. It's just too good to be true.

5. Virtual by nature – Ubuntu Server's JeOS variant installs a minimalistic version of Ubuntu server with a kernel tuned specifically for Virtual Machine software like KVM and Xen – even VMware and VirtualBox are supported – and it's fast!

6. Built on a solid foundation – Since it's build on Ubuntu, it shares the same repositories and packages. All support and solutions apply to both Ubuntu Server and Ubuntu Desktop.

7. Unmatched hardware support – Ubuntu Server supports a much wider range of hardware than the competing distributions – everything from a Mac Mini to a Dell PowerEdge is supported (CentOS is famous for having issues with nVidia nForce Network Cards.

8. No frills, yet pretty – Ubuntu Server may not use Plymouth or any form of boot splash, it may not have a GUI but the CLI with full resolution KMS consoles makes working on the consoles a pleasure. Choices on editors (the simpler Nano compared to the more advanced Vim) enables novices to get started fast and then graduate to higher tools as the needs arise.

9. Versatile – Ubuntu server can be used in serious corporate or even hosting environments, and it can perform the task of running as a dedicted Multiplayer Counter-Strike server equally well. A complete novice can set up a game server in minutes on a laptop with this. Trained IT staff can set up clusters of Highly-Available databases with this in, again, minutes.

10. Modern – Just using the latest software does not make a System modern. Ubuntu Server uses technologies like asynchronous daemon start-ups to enable faster bootups, NetworkManager to manage network interfaces, D-Bus for extremely versatile IPC and more, to create a truly modern and clean System fit for the 21st Century.

So, what do you think? Will you be migrating to Ubuntu in the near future?

PS: Here's a chance of a lifetime for you. Migrating to Ubuntu Server? Using it already? Write for us about it and we'll pay you under the upcoming AuTIER program. Share your knowledge with the FOSS IT community and get rewarded. Hurry!