Rackspace Launches Kubernetes-as-a-Service

Rackspace has announced a new Kubernetes-as-a-Service offering, enabling partners to forge new opportunities around new container technologies, and accelerate their customers’ digital transformation.

The company’s new managed service, which addresses applications such as monitoring, logging, and analytics, as well as data, security, and infrastructure, is expected to enable enterprises to leverage Kubernetes across all leading public and private cloud platforms.

The service includes the ongoing management of “Day 2” operations, including updates, high availability upgrades, patching and security hardening for Kubernetes, all managed cluster services, and the node operating system. Rackspace personnel fully validate and vet each component of the service, provide static container scanning and enable customers to restrict user access to the environment.

The San Antonio, Texas-based company claims customers can save up to 50 percent of expenses through Rackspace Kubernetes-as-a-Service versus operating it themselves. Customers can leverage the service through either an opex or capex model, and can locate the servers and storage wherever desired, including in the customer data center, Rackspace data center, or third party colocation facility, Support for public clouds is said to be coming later this year.

“Today, we’re making the most modern infrastructure consumable by every enterprise,” said Scott Crenshaw, executive vice president of private clouds at Rackspace. “With Kubernetes-as-a-Service, we are providing the industry’s simplest Kubernetes consumption model by delivering it fully configured, tested and validated at enterprise scale with the managed cluster services customers need to effectively run their applications.”

Channel Impact^®
As container adoption gains momentum, Kubernetes has quickly become a leading container orchestration technology for managing production workloads. However, most businesses lack the internal resources and expertise needed to effectively manage a Kubernetes environment on their own. This offering is intended to fill that void and can provide an initial launch pad for channel partners seeking to enter this space.