--- title: What is multi-cloud? description: Learn all about what is multi-cloud and all the other cloud, container, and Kubernetes terminology so that you can build the best business strategies. url: https://canonical.com/blog/what-is-multi-cloud?format=md --- 1. [Blog](https://canonical.com/blog) 2. Article --- [James Nunns](https://canonical.com/blog/author/jamesnunns "More about James Nunns") 11 September 2018 # What is multi-cloud? --- Share the article Tech companies, Canonical included, have a problem. That problem is living in buzzwords and jargon, and then assuming everyone knows what we are talking about. At Canonical we call them ‘Canonicalisms’, other companies have their own names for it. Whilst we can joke about it, this over-reliance on jargon is a genuine barrier to our audience, developers, customers, people in need of technical help, people in need of assistance in understanding what all these buzzwords are. The jargon is a barrier to people understand what something like the cloud is, in its many different guises, and how these different architectures and strategies can be used for tangible business benefits. Fortunately, that’s a problem which is solvable. Canonical has decided to produce a whitepaper that details everything you need to know to understand every type of cloud from public to private and managed to multi-cloud. But, we haven’t stopped there, because these technologies don’t live in a bubble, they’re connected to technologies such as Kubernetes, containers, serverless computing, servers and virtual machines. Still, understanding the basics about these different technologies is only a piece of the picture, which is why we’ve also included guidance on the best strategies to use, use cases, when and where to deploy and make it a success. We know that there is no one-size-fits-all type of cloud. Nor is the cloud necessarily the best option for hosting workloads in all situations, we also know that you don’t want to read another vendor specific take on the view of the world, which is why we’ve remained objective in the whitepaper – in true open source fashion. So, if you want to know what is public cloud or what is multi-cloud and clear away the jargon that’s stopping you from understanding everything you need to know about the cloud, containers, Kubernetes and more, then download this whitepaper. [Download whitepaper](https://www.ubuntu.com/engage/multi-cloud-guide?utm_source=blog&utm_campaign=FY19_Cloud_Openstack_Whitepaper_Multicloud) [Get in touch Interested in running Ubuntu in your organization?](https://ubuntu.com/about/contact-us/form) ## Sign up for our newsletter Get the latest Canonical news and updates in your inbox. Work email: \*I agree to receive information about Canonical's products and services. By submitting this form, I confirm that I have read and agree to [Canonical's Privacy Policy](https://canonical.com/legal/dataprivacy). Sign up ## Share on --- ## Related posts [### Canonical joins the Open Secure AI Alliance](https://canonical.com/blog/open-secure-ai-alliance) Canonical is now part of the Open Secure AI Alliance, announced by NVIDIA with partners across cloud computing, cybersecurity, enterprise software, open source foundations, and... [Canonical](https://canonical.com/blog/author/canonical) 28 August 2026 [### Arduino® VENTUNO™ Q is available for pre-order with Ubuntu pre-installed](https://canonical.com/blog/arduino-ventuno-q-is-available-for-pre-order-with-ubuntu-pre-installed) London, UK – August 25, 2026 – Following our initial collaboration announcement in March 2026, Canonical and Arduino (a subsidiary of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.) are excited... [Canonical](https://canonical.com/blog/author/canonical) 25 August 2026 [### Advantech AOM-2721 is now Ubuntu Certified](https://canonical.com/blog/advantech-aom-2721-ubuntu-certified) Canonical announces that the Advantech AOM-2721 is officially joining the list of Ubuntu Certified Hardware. [Mikhail Khazov](https://canonical.com/blog/author/khazov-m) 13 August 2026 [### Canonical integrates NVIDIA Nemotron 3.5 Lightning with Ubuntu for always-on AI agents](https://canonical.com/blog/nvidia-nemotron-3-5-lightning) Canonical is pleased to announce that NVIDIA’s newly introduced NVIDIA Nemotron 3.5 Lightning, an open, customizable model built for always-on AI agents, is now available on... [Canonical](https://canonical.com/blog/author/canonical) 11 August 2026