Rackspace Offers Virtualization Plans

January 22, 2008 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- Managed hosting provider Rackspace Managed Hosting (rackspace.com) announced on Tuesday that it has launched a new virtualization initiative, starting with the enterprise-class support of dedicated virtualized servers. Virtualization is the newest service offering signaling Rackspace's shift to IT hosting, transforming traditional IT functions into consumable services via the Web, says the company.

Rackspace's virtualization platform, built on VMware's third-generation virtualization software suite, pushes virtualization to the next level in order to support mission-critical, production systems. Customers using virtualization can gain flexibility and scalability in their infrastructure, as well as simplified infrastructure management with new data protection options and on-demand provisioning, says the company.

"Our product development approach focuses first and foremost on Fanatical Support readiness," says John Engates, chief technology officer for Rackspace. "We also ask, 'Is the technology ready to use in a production environment?' We believe that our new virtualization offering now meets these requirements and pushes the envelope, giving customers a virtualized environment ready for mission-critical applications, supported by our wealth of experience, expertise and Fanatical Support."

Rackspace's UK counterpart has also recently changed its corporate identity to simply "Rackspace", reflecting its shift into IT hosting. The company says it dropped the "Managed Hosting" terminology, to signify Rackspace's new breadth of hosted IT services and the new logo incorporates Rackspace's "FANATIGUY" icon, which the company says, better reflects Rackspace's people-centric culture and Fanatical Support service.

Last week, Rackspace gave its inaugural FANATI award to the customer that has best demonstrated excellence when it comes to customer service.