AlmaLinux 10 (Alma Linux 10) Hardened
Automated deployments have saved days and create hardened, SELinux-compliant environments
What is our primary use case?
My main use case for AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages is creating highly customized and personalized operating systems for certain clients, with particular emphasis on compatibility with SELinux rules.
A concrete example of this customized use case is in the space domain, where we perform hardening by cleaning up the operating system and keeping only what is essential for the client while reinforcing security. Strengthening security with AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages and SELinux is particularly effective for these requirements.
How has it helped my organization?
AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages has had a positive impact on my organization, with concrete results showing that clients are satisfied and our organization saves time, allowing us to handle more clients and accept more calls for tenders.
I have measured this time saving in days. Regarding the calls for tenders, I do not have access to the commercial side, but I see the number of requests increasing on our technical side. I conclude that the clients are happy and that demand is increasing.
What is most valuable?
The best features offered by AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages are the ability to use Kickstart files, which allows the installation of the operating system and applications to be done automatically, making deployment and customization for clients easier.
This deployment automation has helped me concretely in my projects by saving time and improving efficiency. Before using AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages, we used another operating system and had to deploy the operating system and then return to the machine to install each of our applications and verify that everything worked properly. With the Kickstart file and everything related to hardening and SELinux, the process is much faster and more efficient.
What needs improvement?
AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages could be improved in certain aspects, but currently, with what I do with it, I see no need for improvement. If I ever find an area for improvement, I will provide feedback to the team.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution in my organization for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages is very stable in my experience.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Regarding scaling, I rate the scalability of AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages in my environment as adequate. For the systems where deployment was done, there was no load testing because we knew from the start what to expect and what we had to provision, so this is not something I have been able to measure from my experience.
How are customer service and support?
I rate the customer support for AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages as sufficient. I have not needed to contact them because we are fairly autonomous and manage with the available documentation, which is why we have not yet needed to call on AlmaLinux support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before using AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages, we used Red Hat 7, but we decided to switch to AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages because of security updates, and we are very satisfied with it.
What was our ROI?
I have noticed a return on investment with AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages mainly through time savings, but I have not been able to measure the other indicators mentioned.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Regarding the price, installation cost, and licensing of AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages, I do not have the commercial information because we were provided with ISOs. I do not know how much it costs, but I know it is Linux and therefore it is open source, so it is potentially free.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Before choosing AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages, I did not evaluate other options or competing solutions.
What other advice do I have?
I rate AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages a 9 out of 10.
I chose 9 and not 10 because of my daily uses and what I have been able to do with it for clients. I am not giving 10 because 10 represents perfection, and nothing is perfect. With my usage, I do not use it 100 percent, so perhaps other people use it differently than I do and for whom there are things to improve.
AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages is deployed in my organization in a data center, not in the cloud. My advice to others who are considering using AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages is not to hesitate to look at the documentation and not to hesitate to do fairly demanding things because it responds very well.
Migrating from legacy servers has improved patching and strengthens security management
What is our primary use case?
Our servers run on AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages as the base operating system, and my role there is to configure, manage, and administer AlmaLinux servers.
I have installed Docker as a service on AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages, specifically Docker and Docker Compose to manage containers.
How has it helped my organization?
AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages has been great to use. Moving from CentOS 7 to Alma, there isn't much of a difference in terms of package management; however, the security has greatly improved.
Server hardening is easier on AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages, and because it is well-maintained, we are constantly getting security support through patching.
It has definitely improved patching, making it easier to patch the servers when you know exactly what you are patching and what the packages you're installing in your operating system are.
With the documentation, everything is clearly stated and detailed on their official website, so patching has become a very smooth process.
What is most valuable?
I appreciate that AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages is well-maintained, open source, and allows contributions to make it better.
The documentation is very well-kept and up to date, and the vulnerabilities that affect AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages are also very well-maintained, often providing users with solutions for remediation.
Recently, there was a Ghost Lock vulnerability affecting all AlmaLinux 8 servers, and an upstream package was released for remediation along with a step-by-step guide provided on their official website for anyone who uses AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages to remediate.
With vulnerability management, I rely heavily on AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages documentation because it provides a guide on how to remediate, and it also clearly outlines the details of what the vulnerability is, which systems are affected, and how to remediate.
What needs improvement?
I'm not certain if there's something that can be improved in AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages, but in terms of vulnerabilities, it constantly is being hit with vulnerabilities. Even if the vulnerabilities are remediated and have a solution to remediate, they are occurring constantly or frequently.
AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages is stable and reliable but would benefit from more up-to-date default software and newer hardware support. The upgrade process could also be more streamlined with clearer tools and documentation for major version migrations, and improved desktop usability with easier access to newer packages would make the experience even better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages since the time it came out, and I started working with AlmaLinux when we were migrating from CentOS to Alma, so I would say approximately three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages is definitely stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages scales well for both small and enterprise environments. It can support increasing workloads through additional CPU, memory, storage, and network resources while also working effectively in virtualized, cloud, and containerized environments.
Its RHEL compatibility and stability make it suitable for expanding infrastructure, although scalability still depends on the application architecture and the quality of system design and monitoring.
How are customer service and support?
I have interacted with the community forum on the GitHub platform regarding AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages, and they are quite responsive and helpful when it comes to resolving issues relating to AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used CentOS 7, but switched to AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages after CentOS shifted away from its traditional stable release model.
AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages offered a more predictable, enterprise-focused alternative with strong RHEL compatibility, long-term support, and minimal changes to our existing systems and workflows.
What was our ROI?
AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages provided a positive return on investment, mainly because it is free and compatible with RHEL-based tools, which reduced licensing costs.
It also saved time during deployment and maintenance because our existing Linux skills and processes could be reused. I do not have formally measured figures, and I did not reduce staffing requirements, but it helped lower operating costs and avoid vendor lock-in.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages is free to download and use with no licensing or subscription fees. My main costs are related to setup, configuration, migration, and ongoing maintenance rather than the operating system itself.
The installation process is straightforward, although enterprise deployments may require additional time and resources for planning, testing, backups, and support.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
The alternatives were AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages or Rocky Linux, and I decided on Alma.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages a solid nine.
It's well-maintained, a solid operating system, and customizable.
It's open source, and the documentation is up to date, so there is security support as well. The Git repository community is quite responsive when it comes to asking questions that I might not find on their official website, and the Git repository comes in handy with things of that nature.
AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages does not have built-in AI capabilities, so its governance and security are primarily focused on traditional enterprise Linux administration. From a security perspective, it provides strong access controls, SELinux, regular security updates, and compatibility with Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Governance depends largely on how the organization manages patching, permissions, monitoring, compliance, and system configurations. Overall, I consider it secure and reliable when properly maintained.
AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages does not have or provide built-in AI capabilities, so the accuracy and reliability of AI-generated output are not directly applicable. Any AI tools hosted on or integrated with AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages would depend on the specific software, model, data, and configuration used.
I purchased AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages through the AWS Marketplace.
I would recommend AlmaLinux 8 (Alma Linux 8) | Support by SupportedImages to organizations looking for a stable, secure, and cost-effective RHEL-compatible operating system. Before adopting it, confirm that your hardware, application, cloud platform, and required software repositories are supported.
Official virtual machine, cloud, and container images make deployment easier. I would also recommend testing the migration in a non-production environment first and planning regular updates, backups, and security monitoring. My overall rating for this product is nine out of ten.