Given that Debian is the mother of so many Linux distributions, it should come as no surprise that it makes for a great server platform. It’s incredibly stable, secure and easy to use. And, like Ubuntu, Debian offers a Long Term Support release, which means support will last for five years.

For anyone who’s considering Debian as a server option, if you’ve used Ubuntu Server, you already have a leg up on making the transition. But don’t think once you’ve installed Debian that you’re ready to send it into development or production. There are a few steps you need to take to ensure the distribution is ready. TechRepublic Premium pared the list down to 10 entries, each of which should be considered a must-do for every deployment.

You’ll also find a handy checklist, from TechRepublic Premium, that you can print out and retrieve every time you deploy Debian for your company.