Why enterprise businesses should adopt immutable Linux for the desktop

If you’ve been a part of the Linux community for even a brief period, over the past few years, chances are pretty good that you’ve stumbled across mention of “immutable Linux.”

What does that even mean, and why is it important?

The what and the why have profound implications for both end users and enterprise businesses. But what are those implications? Why is an immutable operating system so important to those truly concerned about security?

Let’s break it down.

But first, an explanation.

What is “Immutable Linux”?

Immutable Linux is a special take on the Linux operating system, in which the operating system core is mounted read-only. By doing this, it ensures that critical files and folders (such as those in /usr, /bin, /sbin, /lib, /lib64, /boot, and /etc cannot be altered. Additionally, all updates are applied atomically, creating a new system state to enhance stability and security and make system rollbacks easier.

Immutable Linux also depends on containerized applications. Since the package manager cannot alter those read-only mounted directories, applications must be installed as containers using Flatpak, Snap, or AppImages.

There are several immutable distributions, such as Fedora Silverblue, Fedora Kinoite, VanillaOS, BlendOS, SteamOS, NixOS, openSUSE MicroOS, Bazzite, CarbonOS, and more. These distributions are all open-source and free to use.

But why should enterprise businesses adopt immutable Linux for the desktop? Let’s take a look.

1. Security

This is probably the most important reason immutable Linux should be part of enterprise businesses’ desktop plans. Immutable Linux is, hands down, the most secure type of operating system available today. Because the core system is mounted read-only, it cannot be modified by malware, ransomware, bad actors, or poorly written software.

Imagine deploying an operating system to users’ desktops, trusting that it cannot be compromised. That alone makes immutable Linux a must for enterprises that have continually had to fight off constant threats to their current desktop operating systems.

You cannot buy that level of security with proprietary operating systems.

2. Stability and reliability

Now, imagine you can deploy an operating system and trust that it won’t break. An end user couldn’t accidentally alter a key system file; an application couldn’t affect the core system; a sudden power outage couldn’t wreak havoc on the OS; and, on the off chance something went south, the desktop could easily be rolled back to a previous working state.

Even updating the OS is guaranteed: if the system detects something that could break during an update, the update will not continue. This comes via atomic updates, which create a new system state during the process and apply only a successful update upon reboot.

3. User-proof

How much time does your IT department spend resolving issues caused by end users? This is quite common when Windows is in use because it’s easy to break the system. A bit of curiosity, or a poorly written program installed, could bring down the OS.

Or maybe a user is tricked into visiting a malicious site and ends up with malware installed on their system.

With immutable Linux, it’s exponentially harder for users to cause problems for the OS. Imagine your IT staff not having to resolve user-caused issues. That is a pretty huge reason to consider immutable Linux for the desktop.

4. Ease of management and scalability

Another key aspect of immutable Linux for enterprise businesses is the lack of configuration drift. Because it’s possible to create consistent, identical replicas of the OS, immutable Linux enables effortless scaling. Because all applications are containerized, immutable Linux avoids system-wide dependency issues, which also improves ease of management and scalability.

5. Lower operational costs

Because your IT staff would no longer have to babysit desktop deployments, they can focus on more important issues, such as network outages, intrusions, and development. On top of that, there are no OS licenses to purchase or security software to install and update.

This can be especially important when you’re dealing with hundreds or thousands of desktop deployments.

6. Consistency

When you deploy immutable Linux, you know what you’re getting, and you know that you’ll get the same results every time. Every system you deploy will use the exact configuration you’ve deployed, without fail. The same holds true when updating an immutable operating system: the update will either succeed or leave the OS in its previous state. Having such consistency across the board means less time spent troubleshooting issues manually. Your IT staff can trust, with 100% assurance, that every desktop deployment will work exactly as expected, every time.

You might have thought that immutable Linux in the enterprise world was best left to servers, edge devices, and IoT. That is not the case. By using immutable Linux for the desktop, you’ll have fewer issues, save money, and ease the burden on your IT staff.

That’s a win all around.

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