Red Hat
Introduction
Red Hat is an American multinational software company that provides open-source software products to enterprises. Founded in 1993, Red Hat has its corporate headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina, with other offices worldwide.
History
Red Hat was established in 1993 by Bob Young and Marc Ewing. Ewing had created the software distribution, which became known as Red Hat Linux, while studying at Carnegie Mellon University. Young bought Ewing's business in 1995, and the two merged to become Red Hat Software, with Young serving as CEO.
Products
Red Hat provides a variety of software solutions, including operating system platforms, middleware, applications, management products, and support, training, and consulting services.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is a Linux distribution developed by Red Hat for the commercial market. RHEL is released in server versions for x86, x86-64, Itanium, PowerPC and IBM System z, and desktop versions for x86 and x86-64.
Middleware products
Red Hat JBoss Middleware is a family of lightweight, cloud-friendly, enterprise-grade products that help enterprises innovate faster, in a smarter way.
Acquisitions and mergers
Over the years, Red Hat has acquired several companies, including Cygnus Solutions in 1999, Hell's Kitchen Systems in 2000, and JBoss in 2006. In 2018, it was announced that IBM would be acquiring Red Hat for approximately $34 billion, a deal that was completed in July 2019.
Impact and influence
Red Hat has had a significant impact on the development of open-source software and its adoption by businesses. The company's business model, based on open-source software and providing professional services around it, has been emulated by many other companies in the software industry.