End-of-life events transform routine operations into high-stakes decisions. When Linux distributions lose vendor support, uptime-sensitive environments — sovereign clouds, trading platforms, hospital networks and more — must balance continuity needs against migration risks. To effectively manage this challenge, many organizations turn to support partners. Recently, kt cloud worked with SUSE to successfully and proactively ship a stable solution for managing CentOS End of Life (EOL).
The kt cloud playbook
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As CentOS approached end of life, kt cloud’s customers worried about service disruptions. The company made a bold and strategic choice by planning ahead, allowing them to reframe the pressure as a moment for reinforcing customer loyalty. The resulting transition was uniquely proactive and carefully controlled, and it enabled kt cloud to provide a continuity solution before CentOS support even expired.
While kt cloud operates in the cloud services sector, the company’s EOL preparations offer insights for anyone managing Linux distributions at scale. The following elements were central to kt cloud’s approach, and they can apply to a wide variety of EOL transition timelines.
Keep workloads unchanged
kt cloud intentionally prioritized customer experience. The chosen solution does not require guest OS changes, configuration adjustments or downtime windows. As a result, kt cloud’s customers can continue running their workloads — web applications, databases, streaming services, ERP systems and more — without experiencing any major modifications. In regulated industries, where system changes trigger compliance reviews for users, a zero-touch approach can be especially welcome.
Deliver on OpenStack and VMs
kt cloud deployed the solution natively on Dell hardware and OpenStack and delivered it through virtual machines. The platform-native fit allowed kt cloud’s customers to integrate seamlessly with existing quota and image management. Notably, this model can also work with other virtualization stacks and on-premises control planes. For some enterprises, a VM-first approach can be key to predictable capacity planning.
Operate from your console
kt cloud integrated client registrations and entitlements directly into their own operations console and automation layer. This approach can also apply in other enterprise contexts, where internal platforms and service portals benefit from the same automation and integration. kt cloud’s console-native integration simplified customer onboarding, as continuity options appeared within the portal that customers currently accessed. As a result, teams could register systems, inherit policies and open cases without leaving the existing console.
Be proactive
kt cloud launched their continuity solution ahead of the CentOS deadline, and it became the first domestic CSP to offer customers a stable path forward. This stance reinforced the company’s reputation as a trusted partner, giving customers the time and confidence to evaluate migration options without disruption.
Stabilize estates in place with one SLA
At any point in EOL planning, extended support solutions can help with operational stability. You can cover all distributions — RHEL, CentOS, Oracle Linux and SUSE environments — under one agreement, simplifying vendor management and budget planning. The single SLA consolidates support under one relationship, one escalation path and one set of commercial terms. Engineering teams can evaluate container strategies and test platforms based on business priorities rather than EOL deadlines.
With documented security updates for CentOS 7.9 through 2028, solutions like SUSE Multi-Linux Support help you plan for successful migrations — that won’t require compromising uptime or last-minute scrambling across multiple vendors.
Unify policy and evidence
Governance is also a critical part of achieving successful continuity. Platforms like SUSE Multi-Linux Manager can help ensure that your distributions remain compliant throughout EOL transition periods. SUSE’s platform enforces consistent patch policies across all distributions, whether you are actively managing CentOS 7 systems before migration or running newer RHEL systems in production. Automated CVE audits can regularly scan your entire estate, generating exportable CSV reports that translate technical posture into audit-ready evidence.
These platforms provide cross-distribution patch automation and help you deploy security updates consistently across Linux variants. When auditors request compliance documentation, you export reports directly from the console. The same platform managing patches documents compliance, which removes the need for manual correlation and streamlines audit preparation.
Package continuity for customers
Delivering continuity as a native service requires multiple levels of operational preparation. In addition to considering a technology partner, you need to define your continuity with clear service-level objectives. Ideally, teams map the customer journey from portal discovery through provisioning to support. It can be highly beneficial to rework runbooks so that your operations team can execute consistently throughout these stages. You might also consider billing system integration, service catalog presentation and support team enablement for the range of EOL-related inquiries.
kt cloud developed internal training programs and reference architectures that prepared their teams for the transitions ahead. Your internal alignment — runbooks, training, SLAs and more — is critical to shifting smooth customer experience from theory into reality.
Decide with confidence, then act
Across most enterprises, multi-Linux estates are the standard. That sprawl — spanning versions, vendors and critical workloads — makes EOL events especially risky. kt cloud’s launch proves that end-of-life challenges are manageable. In fact, they can become opportunities to establish competitive advantage.
By making stability a priority, you can protect customer trust while creating space for strategic transformation. Read more about kt cloud’s approach to preparing for the future, on its own terms.
Organizations that run Linux at scale have the option to stabilize in place, mitigating current and future EOL disruptions. SUSE Multi-Linux Support can help.
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