At Canonical, we believe in the power of open source to change the world
Canonical was created alongside Ubuntu to help it reach a wider market. Our services help governments and businesses the world over with migrations, management and support for their Ubuntu deployments. Together with our partners, we ensure that Ubuntu runs reliably on every platform from the PC and the smartphone to the server and, crucially, the cloud.
What we do
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We work with our hardware partners to make Ubuntu available pre-installed on PCs in more than 3,000 retailers around the world.
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We certify hundreds of PCs and servers from OEMs including Dell, HP and Lenovo, for use in the consumer and commercial sectors.
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We make Ubuntu available on the world’s most popular public clouds, including Amazon Web Services, IBM, Rackspace, Windows Azure and HP Cloud.
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We build cloud data centres for some of the world’s biggest telecommunications providers.
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We promote the use of open source in education, leading to large-scale desktop migrations covering hundreds of thousands of machines.
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We provide 24/7 support for some of the most famous technology companies in the world, including Netflix, Bloomberg and Google.
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We maintain a world class commercial partner network around Ubuntu, including leading names such as VMware and world-changing open source technologies like OpenStack.
Canonical and open source
We believe in the power of open source software; Ubuntu could not exist without its worldwide community of voluntary developers. We are committed to creating it, refining it, certifying it for reliability and promoting its use. As well as launching and running our own projects, we contribute staff, code and funding to many more.
Open source projects ›
Our management team
- Jane Silber
- Mark Shuttleworth
- Rick Spencer
- Robbie Williamson
- Chris Kenyon
- Cristian Parrino
- Jon Melamut
- Steve George
Jane Silber
Chief Executive Officer
Jane has over 20 years’ experience in business development, operations and software management. Before becoming Canonical’s CEO in 2010, Jane held VP roles at Canonical, Interactive Television Company and General Dynamics C4 Systems.
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“As Ubuntu becomes the open-source standard in so many markets, our portfolio continues to flourish. I can’t imagine a better place to work.”
Mark Shuttleworth
Founder
Mark founded security specialist Thawte before selling the company to VeriSign in 1999. In 2004, he founded Ubuntu and Canonical, combining responsibility for strategy and user experience at Canonical with roles on the Ubuntu Technical Board and Community Council.
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“Contributing to Ubuntu is a profession for some and a passion for others. Either way, it’s changing the world.”
Rick Spencer
VP, Ubuntu Engineering
Rick leads the team responsible for Canonical’s numerous engineering contributions to Ubuntu. Before joining the company, he spent many years in software development, including almost a decade in developer experience and management roles at Microsoft.
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“Through a unique combination of stellar people, engaged community, strong principles, and ever improving technology, I believe Ubuntu will make the world a better place.”
Robbie Williamson
VP, Cloud Development and Operations
Robbie leads our Cloud and DevOps engineering efforts, plus a world-class operations team delivering services to the company, our customers and the Ubuntu community. Before Canonical, Robbie held several managerial positions within IBM's Linux Technology Center.
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“Everything we do reflects our ability to be progressive in thought, innovative in design, adroit in delivery, and disruptive in the markets we target.”
Chris Kenyon
SVP, Cloud Sales and Business Development
Chris is responsible for the commercial success of Ubuntu in both public and private cloud. He is responsible for Canonical’s direct and channel business around Ubuntu Openstack as well as Canonical’s global partnerships with the likes of IBM, HP, Cisco, Dell, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure.
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“Ubuntu is born of the cloud — Both the industry standard for Ubuntu Openstack and the world’s leading cloud guest. We help companies get the most from it.”
Cristian Parrino
VP, Mobile and Online Services
Cristian leads Canonical’s mobile strategy for Ubuntu — including engagements with mobile operators, device manufacturers, and the applications ecosystem worldwide. With 15 years’ tech startup experience, he has founded and advised a number of online businesses and also held exec roles at two BT Technology Lab spin-outs.
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“Being at Canonical allows you to work with an extremely talented team to develop a sector-defining product — it’s very exciting.”
Jon Melamut
VP, OEM and Engineering Services
Jon leads the field engineering and business development teams that work with our partners to bring Ubuntu to market. Before joining Canonical, Jon held senior roles with industry leaders including Adobe, IBM and Lotus Development.
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“I love helping enterprises reach their true potential with open source software.”
Steve George
VP, Operations
Steve is responsible for all of Canonical’s internal operations. Before joining Canonical, he ran the strategy and operations team at Clara, a leading UK hosting company and, before that, he held several leadership roles at VIA Networks.
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“Canonical is doing something genuinely ground-breaking. It can make a difference for millions of people.”