Many people know Rackspace as a great cloud service provider. They provide managed hosting, private clouds, and public clouds, among other services. Rackspace has become a leader in its field by putting a lot of effort into customer service and knowing a lot about technology. Their full range of solutions is perfect for businesses of all sizes that want dependable and expandable cloud services.
While that’s a quick rundown of what Rackspace is, keep reading to find out more about one of the biggest IT companies, including what they do and what services they offer.
What Exactly Does Rackspace Do?
One of the main services the company offers is managed hosting, which lets customers use powerful servers and other infrastructure resources to run their websites, apps, and other online tools.
According to the official Rackspace website, they describe themselves as follows:
“At Rackspace Technology, we are the multicloud solutions experts. Our technical acumen with the world’s leading technologies and multicloud environments — across your applications, data and security — enables you to grow your business, increase efficiency and deliver the future.”
Rackspace offers a lot of different services besides managed hosting. Some of these are cloud storage, databases, and analytics. These services can help companies store, organise, and look at a lot of data.
They can also help them grow as their needs do. OpenStack object storage is what Rackspace’s Cloud Files uses. It came out in 2008. Users are charged for both storage space and incoming bandwidth, and they can control how much they use through an online panel or desktop software.
Cloud hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated hosting are some of the other hosting options that Rackspace offers. These give customers even more control, flexibility, and scalability over their hosting environments.
Cloud Block Storage and Cloud Backup are the other two parts of Rackspace. Through a mix of hard drives and solid-state drives, the first one is powered by OpenStack and can do better than object-based clouds. The second one is mostly about security and backups at the file level using compression and encryption.
One of the best things about Rackspace’s services is that the company handles all the technical stuff, like setting up, protecting, and maintaining the servers. Instead of worrying about the technology behind their business, they can focus on what they do best: running their business.
In addition to Rackspace, Microsoft Azure is one of the largest cloud service providers. To learn more about Microsoft’s cloud service, see our article: “What is Microsoft Azure: Definitions, Features, and Benefits“.
Key Features and Services Offered by Rackspace
Managed Hosting
Rackspace’s managed hosting services relieve businesses from the burden of infrastructure management. The company takes charge of server maintenance, ensuring optimal performance, security, and scalability. This allows organisations to allocate resources more efficiently, concentrating on innovation and growth.
Cloud Migration and Management
Navigating the cloud landscape can be daunting, but Rackspace simplifies the process with its expertise in cloud migration and management. Whether transitioning from on-premises systems or between cloud platforms, Rackspace ensures a seamless and secure migration experience.
Multi-Cloud Solutions
Recognizing the diversity in cloud environments, Rackspace provides multi-cloud solutions. This flexibility allows businesses to leverage different cloud providers, optimising performance and cost-effectiveness based on specific requirements.
Fanatical Support
Rackspace takes customer support to a whole new level with its “Fanatical Support” approach. The company’s support teams are available around the clock, dedicated to addressing issues promptly and proactively. This commitment to exceptional support sets Rackspace apart in the competitive cloud services landscape.
Benefits of Rackspace for Businesses
Incorporating Rackspace into your IT strategy can yield a plethora of benefits for businesses, including:
Cost-Efficiency
Rackspace’s managed services eliminate the need for extensive in-house IT teams and infrastructure investments. This results in significant cost savings for businesses, allowing them to allocate resources more strategically.
Enhanced Security
Security is a top priority in the digital age, and Rackspace recognises this with robust security measures. From data encryption to threat detection, businesses can trust Rackspace to safeguard their critical assets in the cloud.
Scalability
As businesses evolve, so do their IT requirements. Rackspace’s scalable solutions ensure that organisations can easily adapt to changing needs, whether it’s handling increased workloads or expanding their digital footprint.
Focus on Core Competencies
By entrusting their IT infrastructure to Rackspace, businesses can redirect their focus and resources towards core competencies. This strategic shift enhances overall productivity and innovation within the organisation.
What is Rackspace (Image by Rackspace Developer Center).
What is Rackspace vs AWS?
The comparison between Rackspace and Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a common enquiry among businesses seeking cloud solutions. While both are industry giants, there are distinct differences:
Specialization
Rackspace focuses on managed services, providing comprehensive support for businesses. In contrast, AWS is a broader platform offering a wide array of individual services that businesses can use to build their customized solutions.
Fanatical Support vs. Self-Service
Rackspace’s “Fanatical Support” model involves a hands-on approach to customer service. AWS, on the other hand, operates on a self-service model, where users have extensive control but are responsible for managing their services.
Pricing Models
Rackspace often appeals to businesses with straightforward pricing models, while AWS provides a more granular approach with pay-as-you-go pricing. The choice between the two often depends on a business’s specific needs and preferences.
While Rackspace and AWS provide robust cloud-based services, some of their solutions use VMware technology. But what is VMware? Check out our article: “What is VMware? Definition, Function, and Benefits“, to learn more about that subject.
What happened to Rackspace?
Over the years, Rackspace has undergone transformations, adapting to the dynamic tech landscape. The company, which started as a hosting provider, has evolved into a prominent player in the cloud services market.
In 2016, Rackspace went private after a $4.3 billion acquisition by Apollo Global Management. This move allowed Rackspace to focus on long-term growth and innovation away from the scrutiny of public markets. The company continued to expand its portfolio of services and maintain its commitment to customer-centric solutions. In 2020, AMG took Rackspace public again at $21 per share.
Rackspace had a major service outage in December 2022 that affected all of their hosted Exchange users. Hosted Exchange users were Rackspace customers who bought email services that included Microsoft Exchange instances hosted on Rackspace’s servers. After the initial investigation, Rackspace called the event a “security incident” and said it had shut down its servers to protect customer data.
This led some commentators to think it might have been a ransomware incident, which was supported by Rackspace’s suggestion that customers switch to Microsoft365 instead of waiting for their Exchange-based solutions to be restored.
Monday, December 5, 2022, was the first full trading day after the incident, which began on Friday the previous week. Rackspace’s shares were down as much as 16% ($0.75).
Conclusion
As we wrap up our look at Rackspace, keep in mind that selecting the right cloud partner can have a significant impact on your path to technological success. Cloud solutions are constantly evolving, so you should be aware of the best IT partner to help your company achieve new heights.
