Rackspace Hosting has unveiled a new set of product offerings that help businesses move their IT applications into the cloud. The new offerings include Cloud Drive, Server Backup, and the upcoming release of Hosted Microsoft SharePoint, which is expected to release in December 2009.

The company claims that the new products help customers to spend less time maintaining basic IT systems, such as file servers and data backup software, and instead focus on their core competencies.

According to Rackspace, the new Cloud Drive is a cloud-based online file storage application that allows individuals and teams to store, share, and backup files. It allows customers to access and manage data from inside and outside the office, without any additional hardware; and synchronise desktop folders with a cloud-based network drive across one or more computers.

In addition, the Cloud Drive allows customers to backup data to the Rackspace Cloud; restore data in the event of a hardware failure; and protect data with AES-256 encryption using a key controlled by the customer.

The Rackspace Server Backup is a cloud-based online server backup application designed to protect file server data. It enables customers to manage data remotely using any Mac, Windows, or Linux PC; and protect server data with AES-256 encryption using a key, the company said.

Lew Moorman, president of cloud division at Rackspace Hosting, said: “This announcement is an important one for our business, as it highlights both the success of our existing email solutions and our expansion into additional business applications that can bring substantial cost savings to our customers and reduce complexity in their IT environments.”