This post looks at why open-source clouds democratize access to advanced technology, and how Atmosphere helps companies use OpenStack without wrestling with all the usual headaches.
Open-source technology has evolved well beyond cost savings and code transparency. Modern open-source communities collaborate to build robust, constantly improving frameworks that power everything from AI research to large-scale, mission-critical workloads. The 2023 State of Open Source Report by OpenLogic by Perforce and the Open Source Initiative found more than 80% of organizations surveyed increased their use of open-source software in the past year, with more than 41% reporting a significant increase.
In cloud computing specifically, OpenStack has become a major force. Projects like OpenStack (for building private and hybrid clouds), Kubernetes (for container orchestration), and even AI frameworks such as TensorFlow and PyTorch evolve rapidly thanks to collaborative efforts across the globe.
But it’s not just code that benefits from open collaboration, business outcomes do too, especially when there’s a well-designed solution to bridge open-source innovation with enterprise needs.
Community vs. Proprietary
The difference between community-driven and proprietary solutions shapes how organizations deploy, manage, and scale their infrastructure. Major cloud providers often tie customers to proprietary services and custom APIs. While these offerings can deliver convenience and broad feature sets, they also come with hidden downsides.
Lack of Innovation
Proprietary platforms often lead to vendor lock-in, making it expensive or complicated for businesses to switch providers. This lock-in can stem from hidden pricing tiers, specialized setups, or proprietary features that simply don’t exist elsewhere. In some cases, businesses may find themselves paying for far more capacity than they use, forced into rigid licensing tiers that don’t match actual needs.
In contrast, open-source communities such as those supporting OpenStack and Kubernetes thrive on global collaboration. If an organization identifies a missing feature, it can propose or sponsor a change, improving the software for everyone. Because each update addresses real-world needs rather than a single vendor’s internal priorities, these projects often evolve faster and more flexibly.
In comparison, Atmosphere adopts a more frequent release cycle, enabling adopters to incorporate security patches or feature enhancements as soon as they’re available.
Pricing
Cost and sustainability also come into play. Proprietary solutions often use tiered pricing, which might be manageable early on but can balloon as workloads scale. Egress fees, premium support tiers, and add-on services can erode budgets quickly, especially if an organization’s needs grow or diversify unexpectedly.
Community-driven projects, while not always “free” when you factor in staffing and maintenance, steer clear of strict licensing schemes and costly usage overages. And importantly, just because you’re paying for proprietary software doesn’t mean you own it, you’re often simply licensing the right to use it under restrictive terms. This opens the door for teams to adapt open-source solutions to their exact needs, rather than staying within the confines of a rigid pricing model.
Tools like Prometheus and Grafana exemplify this flexibility - both are widely used for real-time monitoring and observability, yet they’re also highly customizable. Organizations can modify alerting, dashboards, or data retention on their own terms, without worrying about locked-in license tiers or unexpected fees.
Security, Compliance, and Continuous Improvement
One misconception about open-source is that openly visible code translates into more vulnerabilities. In practice, open-source typically benefits from widespread scrutiny and rapid patching.
OpenStack demonstrates this principle in action by releasing frequent updates, ranging from minor bug fixes to major security patches, on a consistent schedule. Users of Atmosphere benefit even further since VEXXHOST, as a long-standing member of the OpenStack community, receives early notice of security patches.
This means organizations running Atmosphere gain immediate access to crucial fixes, sometimes before they are publicly announced. Add in the user-friendly packaging for these updates, and it becomes easier to apply patches without worrying about lengthy manual processes.
VEXXHOST’s Commitment to the Community
VEXXHOST has been a contributor to OpenStack since its second release. Over the years, our engineers have led multiple OpenStack projects, ensuring that every service we deliver aligns with current community standards and best practices.
We believe in an “upstream-first” approach, which means any fixes or improvements we develop for our clients are contributed back to the open-source project. When businesses adopt VEXXHOST’s services, they benefit from a continuous cycle of collaboration where real-world use cases guide ongoing development.
Enterprise-Grade Support with VEXXHOST
One of the reasons proprietary clouds attract large customers is the assumption that robust support is included. In reality, multi-tier support from major vendors doesn’t always mean timely responses, and it can become expensive at scale.
VEXXHOST offers managed services for day 2 operations with 24/7 monitoring, simplified upgrades, and expert consulting.
Our engineering team is globally distributed to ensure continuous support, with experts available around the clock to handle critical issues. This reduces the risk of downtime and ensures you’re never left without assistance, regardless of your time zone or location.
The Future
As open-source adoption accelerates, it’s clear that community-led platforms aren’t just for early adopters. With major surveys like the CNCF Annual Report showing 96% usage or evaluation of Kubernetes, the trend is unmistakable: more companies are finding open-source to be stable, flexible, and well-supported.
Still, implementing new infrastructure can be complex if you lack the right tools. That’s why VEXXHOST created Atmosphere, an integrated OpenStack distribution that helps you deploy and manage your cloud environment.
Whether you’re aiming to modernize your infrastructure, reduce vendor dependencies, or accelerate time-to-market, VEXXHOST’s upstream-first philosophy puts you in step with the latest and most secure features the community has to offer.
If you’re ready to explore how Atmosphere supports your cloud strategy, schedule a conversation with us.
