Rackspace Acquires ObjectRocket, Cuts Bandwidth Prices

"MongoDB is a very popular product in the category of NoSQL databases," said Rackspace CTO John Engates. "They use a lot of next-generation technologies and leverage new architectures that are very much in line with our goals. They are very scalable, very automated and very well-developed platforms that are resonating very well with developers because it makes their lives easier."

The offering is expected to help customers address issues related to big data in the cloud. ObjectRocket's current customer list includes Shutterfly, PayPal, eBay and AOL.

[Related: Cloud Service Pitches Frequently All Talk No PO ]

The terms of agreement were not disclosed.

Rackspace quoted market research reports forecasting an 82 percent CAGR for NoSQL software, with revenue expected to reach $215 million by 2015.

"We are going to integrate it more closely within our suite of open cloud capabilities," added Engates. "We plan to move their platforms to the Rackspace data centers, starting with our facility in Chicago, which is scheduled to take place in March. The teams will most likely be moved to our facility in Austin, Texas."

The company also announced that it is slashing its cloud bandwidth prices by 33 percent, representing a shift from 18 cents per GB to 12 cents per GB.

"It's one of those things that our larger customers really pay a lot of attention to, especially to the extent that their streaming or delivering content," Engates explained. "We wanted to make sure their pricing structure matched the needs and expectations of our customers. Last year we made a lot of advances in terms of the way our cloud is built out. Technology gets better, and the price of hardware goes down. We implemented OpenStack and made improvements in the way we manage infrastructure. So, we're now passing along those efficiencies to our customers."

As part of that same initiative, Rackspace also announced that it is implementing tiered pricing for its Cloud Files storage service. The volume discounts range from $0.10 per GB per month for the first terabyte, decreasing to $0.075 per GB per month, with even lower rates for storage amounts over 1,024 TB.

"This is good for customers who are storing a lot of data or moving a lot of content," summarized Engates.

PUBLISHED FEB. 28, 2013