Open Source Cloud Platform OpenStack Gains Momentum

Rackspace, in partnership with NASA, began its efforts to create an open source platform for the cloud back in 2010. Unlike other standards efforts that were already underway, OpenStack provided actual software providers with the ability to create their own cloud products. Since that time, dozens of companies, like Dell, IBM, and Cisco, have joined the effort to create a common cloud infrastructure. Although Rackspace has been a vocal proponent of the platform, until now the company leveraged the proprietary SliceHost technology it acquired a four years ago as the basis of its product cloud portfolio.

As noted on Midsize Insider, Hewlett-Packard (HP) announced the launch of its OpenStack-based cloud product family weeks before Rackspace. However, Rackspace's move is likely to garner more industry attention. Not only is Rackspace one of the first contributors to OpenStack, it is also the biggest cloud infrastructure provider after Amazon Web Services (AWS). Any missteps by Rackspace could have a tremendous impact on industry adoption of the open source cloud operating system, which is why the company is being cautious in its deployment strategy...