From single Ubuntu servers to large-scale Kubernetes clusters, Record Group delivers expert Linux deployment, hardening, and management. We harness the power, security, and cost-effectiveness of open-source to build infrastructure that simply works.
Linux is not just an alternative to Windows Server — it is the foundation of the internet, cloud computing, and virtually every major technology platform on the planet. Here is why forward-thinking businesses choose Linux.
Zero Licensing Costs
Linux is open-source, meaning no per-server or per-CAL licensing fees. For businesses running multiple servers, this translates to thousands of pounds saved annually compared to Windows Server licensing, with no compromise on capability.
Unmatched Security
Linux benefits from a transparent, community-audited codebase. Security vulnerabilities are discovered and patched rapidly, and the permission model is inherently more restrictive than Windows, reducing the attack surface significantly.
Rock-Solid Stability
Linux servers routinely achieve uptimes measured in years, not weeks. The kernel is renowned for its stability under heavy load, which is precisely why 96.3% of the world's top one million web servers and all 500 of the world's fastest supercomputers run Linux.
Superior Performance
Linux uses fewer system resources than Windows Server, delivering more performance from the same hardware. This efficiency is especially valuable for web hosting, databases, containers, and AI workloads where every CPU cycle counts.
Cloud-Native by Design
AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud all run on Linux. Docker, Kubernetes, and every major container technology is built for Linux first. Choosing Linux means your infrastructure speaks the same language as the cloud from day one.
Massive Community & Ecosystem
Linux is supported by millions of developers worldwide. There is a mature, well-documented tool for virtually every server task imaginable, and the open-source ecosystem ensures you are never locked into a single vendor.
Our Linux Services
Comprehensive Linux Server Expertise
Whether you need a single web server or a multi-node Kubernetes cluster, our certified Linux engineers design, deploy, and manage infrastructure that scales with your business.
Ubuntu Server Deployment & Management
Ubuntu is the world's most popular Linux distribution for servers and cloud workloads. We deploy, configure, and manage Ubuntu Server LTS releases with automated updates, Canonical Livepatch for rebootless kernel patches, and full lifecycle support.
RHEL, CentOS & Rocky Linux
For businesses requiring enterprise-grade support and long-term stability, we deploy Red Hat Enterprise Linux and its community equivalents. We handle subscription management, satellite server configuration, and migrations from CentOS to Rocky or Alma Linux.
Debian Server Administration
Debian is prized for its stability and minimal footprint. We administer Debian servers for organisations that value a conservative, thoroughly-tested operating system with a vast package repository and predictable release cycles.
Linux Security Hardening
We harden Linux servers to CIS benchmark standards, configuring fail2ban for brute-force protection, UFW or iptables firewalls, SSH key-only authentication, SELinux or AppArmor mandatory access controls, and automated vulnerability scanning with OpenVAS or Lynis.
LAMP & LEMP Stack Setup
Full-stack web server deployment with Apache or Nginx, MySQL, MariaDB, or PostgreSQL, and PHP, Python, or Node.js. We optimise each layer for performance, configure SSL certificates with Let's Encrypt, and implement caching with Redis or Memcached.
Docker & Container Management
Containerise your applications with Docker for consistent, portable deployments. We write optimised Dockerfiles, configure Docker Compose for multi-container applications, set up private registries, and implement container security scanning with Trivy.
Kubernetes Orchestration
Deploy and manage production Kubernetes clusters on bare metal or cloud infrastructure. We handle cluster design, Helm chart management, Ingress controllers, persistent storage, RBAC policies, auto-scaling, and rolling deployments with zero downtime.
Linux Backup Solutions
Automated backup strategies using rsync for file-level backups, Borg or Restic for deduplicated encrypted backups, and LVM snapshots for consistent point-in-time recovery. Off-site replication to cloud storage or secondary data centres ensures disaster resilience.
Monitoring & Observability
Full-stack monitoring with Prometheus for metrics collection, Grafana for dashboards and alerting, and optional integration with Nagios or Zabbix. We monitor CPU, RAM, disk, network, application health, and custom business metrics with intelligent alerting.
Performance Tuning & Optimisation
Kernel parameter tuning, I/O scheduler optimisation, memory management, filesystem selection (ext4, XFS, ZFS, Btrfs), network stack tuning, and application-specific performance profiling. We squeeze every ounce of performance from your hardware.
Use Cases
Linux Powers Every Layer of Your Business
From serving web pages to training machine learning models, Linux is the operating system of choice for demanding workloads. Here are the most common ways our clients use Linux servers.
Web Servers
Deploy high-availability web infrastructure with Nginx, Apache, or Caddy. We configure load balancing with HAProxy, TLS termination, HTTP/2 and HTTP/3, reverse proxying, and automatic failover. Whether you serve a brochure site or millions of API requests per day, Linux is the natural choice for web workloads.
Database Servers
Run MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, or Redis on optimised Linux hosts. We handle replication, clustering (Galera, Patroni), connection pooling (PgBouncer), automated backups, and performance tuning. Linux gives databases direct access to hardware resources without the overhead of a GUI-heavy operating system.
File Servers
Build file sharing infrastructure with Samba for Windows-compatible shares or NFS for Linux-to-Linux environments. We configure Samba as a domain member for seamless Active Directory integration, set up quotas, audit logging, and Recycle Bin functionality for mixed Windows and Linux networks.
Mail Servers
Self-hosted email with Postfix for SMTP and Dovecot for IMAP/POP3, complete with SpamAssassin, DKIM, SPF, DMARC, and TLS encryption. We build mail servers that score 10/10 on mail-tester and integrate with your existing domain and DNS infrastructure.
AI & Machine Learning
Linux is the only serious choice for GPU-accelerated AI workloads. We deploy CUDA drivers, cuDNN, PyTorch, TensorFlow, and Jupyter environments on Ubuntu or RHEL. From single-GPU development machines to multi-node training clusters, we build the infrastructure that powers your AI ambitions.
Development Environments
Git servers with Gitea or GitLab, CI/CD pipelines with Jenkins, GitHub Actions runners, or GitLab CI. We build complete development infrastructure including artifact repositories (Nexus, Artifactory), code quality tools (SonarQube), and containerised build environments.
Virtualisation
Enterprise virtualisation with Proxmox VE, KVM, and LXC containers. We design virtual infrastructure that maximises hardware utilisation, configure live migration, high availability clustering, and backup schedules. Proxmox offers feature parity with VMware at a fraction of the cost.
Firewalls & Networking
Linux-based firewalls and networking with pfSense, OPNsense, or raw iptables/nftables. WireGuard and OpenVPN for secure remote access, VLAN configuration, traffic shaping, and intrusion detection with Suricata. Linux gives you complete control over your network perimeter.
Linux Security
Hardened Linux Servers That Resist Attack
Security is not an afterthought — it is built into every Linux server we deploy. Our hardening process follows CIS benchmarks and incorporates defence-in-depth strategies that protect your infrastructure at every layer.
SSH hardening — key-only authentication, non-standard ports, fail2ban with progressive banning, and IP allowlisting
Automatic security updates — unattended-upgrades with email notifications and rollback capabilities
SELinux / AppArmor — mandatory access controls that confine processes to only the resources they need
Audit logging — comprehensive auditd configuration that records file access, authentication, and system calls
CIS benchmark compliance — automated compliance scanning and remediation against industry-standard benchmarks
Vulnerability scanning — regular automated scans with OpenVAS, Lynis, or Trivy for containerised environments
Rootkit detection — rkhunter and chkrootkit running on scheduled scans with alert notifications
Filesystem integrity — AIDE or Tripwire monitoring for unauthorised file changes
Cross-Platform
Linux & Windows Working Together
Most businesses run a mix of Linux and Windows. We specialise in making both platforms work seamlessly together, so your users never notice the difference.
Samba for Active Directory — join Linux servers to your Windows domain for centralised authentication and group policy
SSSD for AD authentication — enable Windows domain users to log in to Linux servers with their existing credentials
Network file sharing — seamless SMB/CIFS shares accessible from both Windows and Linux workstations
Print services — CUPS print servers that serve both Linux and Windows clients via IPP and SMB
DNS integration — BIND or Unbound working alongside Windows DNS for split-horizon or forwarding configurations
Certificate interoperability — Linux servers trusting Windows CA certificates and vice versa
Containerisation
Docker & Kubernetes at Scale
Containers are the modern way to deploy applications. We help businesses adopt containerisation at whatever pace makes sense, from a first Docker Compose project to a production Kubernetes cluster.
Docker engine installation, configuration, and security hardening
Dockerfile and Docker Compose authoring for your applications
Kubernetes cluster design and deployment (k3s, kubeadm, RKE2)
Helm chart development and management
Ingress controllers (Nginx, Traefik) and TLS management (cert-manager)
Persistent storage with Longhorn, Rook-Ceph, or NFS provisioners
GitOps with ArgoCD or Flux for declarative deployments
Container security scanning with Trivy, Falco, or Aqua
Monitoring & Observability
Complete Visibility Into Your Linux Infrastructure
You cannot manage what you cannot see. Our monitoring stack gives you real-time visibility into every aspect of your Linux servers, with intelligent alerting that notifies you before problems affect users.
Prometheus — time-series metrics collection with powerful PromQL querying
Grafana — beautiful, customisable dashboards for infrastructure and application metrics
Alertmanager — intelligent alert routing via email, Slack, PagerDuty, or Microsoft Teams
Node Exporter — detailed hardware and OS metrics from every Linux server
Loki — log aggregation and querying alongside your metrics in Grafana
Nagios / Zabbix — traditional monitoring for organisations that prefer established tools
Uptime monitoring — external checks for HTTP endpoints, TCP ports, and SSL certificate expiry
Managed Linux Support
24/7 Linux Server Management
Let our team of certified Linux engineers keep your servers running at peak performance while you focus on your business. Our managed Linux service covers everything from routine maintenance to emergency incident response.
Whether you are migrating from Windows, deploying your first Docker container, or building a Kubernetes cluster, our Linux engineers are ready to help. Get in touch for a free consultation and discover how Linux can reduce costs, improve performance, and strengthen your security.
