Rackspace has launched its Critical Sites service across Europe, designed to offer customers a platform to host mission-critical websites and applications in the cloud.
The service, launched in the US in October 2010, is aimed at companies wishing to move revenue-generating sites and apps to the cloud, such as eCommerce vendors, Rackspace CEO Lanham Napier told CBR.
Critical Sites offers a 100% Production Platform uptime guarantee and an SLA that includes a five-minute notification of any performance issues, Rackspace said. Customers also get tools for application and website monitoring and simulated load testing, as well as for reporting, the San Antonio, Texas-based firm said.
The tools can also be used to increase peak application performance to websites will not fall over if there is a surge in demand.
Napier told CBR the service is designed to help companies shift mission-critical loads to the cloud. "Critical Sites is for customers that have a mission-critical, revenue-producing app," he said. "It allows us to get deeper, more real-time monitoring through the different layers of the stack to improve our performance for our customers. It’s all about higher SLAs, whether it’s response or uptime."
"Critical Sites is on dedicated gear," he continued. "It’s not in a public cloud. Part of our roadmap is to provide Critical Sites capability in our public cloud." Napier expects that to be offered next year, he told CBR.
"What’s happening with cloud adoption is that the momentum is continuing to build and as we increase our service level capability I think adoption will continue and you’ll see more mission-critical apps going there. All enterprises I speak to have cloud on the mind.
Customers such as Mazda, Blackline Systems and Hawaiian Airlines are already using the service in the US, Rackspace added.
Click here to read our Q&A with Rackspace CEO, Lanham Napier.
