Rackspace Accelerates Customers' Journey to the Hybrid

SAN ANTONIO, TX --(Marketwired - October 20, 2014) - Rackspace ^® ( NYSE : RAX ), the #1 managed cloud company, today announced the newest release of its Rackspace Hybrid Cloud offering, RackConnect ^® v3, including new security capabilities, increased scalability and an improved customer experience. Rackspace created the unique RackConnect technology to address the needs of customers who require the scalability of the cloud, combined with the enhanced security and performance of traditional dedicated hosting.

RackConnect allows customers to blend traditional dedicated hardware and networks with a variety of services deployed in the public cloud. The latest iteration of RackConnect uses software-defined network technology and Rackspace Cloud Networks to deliver a seamless connection between disparate environments with an emphasis on security across the entire configuration.

Rackspace offers this hybrid cloud solution with the ability to incorporate highly customized devices within dedicated hosting and connect with public cloud, private cloud powered by VMware, OpenStack and Microsoft, and even offsite to a customer premise all backed by Fanatical Support ^® . There is no additional charge for RackConnect beyond the cost of the underlying resources consumed.

"RackConnect v3 redefines hybrid cloud by offering enterprise customers a migration path to the public cloud with none of the downside," said John Engates, CTO at Rackspace. "This unique hybrid cloud technology allows our customers to take advantage of our managed public cloud, private cloud and dedicated hosting offerings with a seamless integration backed by Fanatical Support. It is a unique offering in the market today."

With the new version of RackConnect, customers will be able to take advantage of enhanced security capabilities, increased scalability and automation, and more device options.

• Enhanced Security - RackConnect v3 expands the security of dedicated environments into the Rackspace Public Cloud by integrating isolated Rackspace Cloud Networks to keep traffic segregated.
• Increased Scalability and Automation - RackConnect v3 supports as much as a 5x increase in scalability. It also decreases the time to provision new resources and helps reduce the risk of build failures by introducing seamless Rackspace Cloud Server provisioning.
• Enhanced Customer Experience - Using best practices and software-defined networking (SDN), RackConnect v3 shifts complexity away from the customer and toward software and automation, delivering a seamless customer experience.
• More Device Options - RackConnect remains free of charge to all Rackspace customers that have a compatible network device. The Brocade ADX load balancer joins the list of RackConnect compatible devices, along with the Cisco ASA firewall series and the F5 BIP-IP local traffic manager, to further reduce the cost of an entry-level RackConnect deployment.

The new features and capabilities of RackConnect will be in unlimited availability on Oct. 23 to customers who have dedicated and cloud resources in all US and International regions. For more information on Rackspace Hybrid Cloud solutions, visit http://www.rackspace.com/cloud/hybrid/rackconnect/ .

About Rackspace Rackspace ( NYSE : RAX ) is the #1 managed cloud company. Its technical expertise and Fanatical Support ^® allow companies to tap the power of the cloud without the pain of hiring experts in dozens of complex technologies. Rackspace is also the leader in hybrid cloud, giving each customer the best fit for its unique needs -- whether on single- or multi-tenant servers, or a combination of those platforms. Rackspace is the founder of OpenStack ^® , the open-source operating system for the cloud. Based in San Antonio, Rackspace serves more than 200,000 business customers from data centers on four continents. It ranks #29 on Fortune's list of  100 Best Companies to Work For .  www.rackspace.com

Forward Looking Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, the results of Rackspace Hosting could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical facts are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including any statements concerning expected development, performance or market acceptance associated with the RackConnect technology; anticipated operational and financial benefits from the RackConnect technology; any statements concerning expected development, performance or operational results related to any particular customer or customers of our customers associated with our cloud solutions; any statements of expectation or belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include the possibility that expected benefits from the RackConnect technology may not materialize because this product is not generally accepted in the marketplace, which could occur due to certain factors including (i) a failure to market the product cost effectively, differentiate the product from competitive products or communicate differentiations effectively, (ii) the reliability, quality or compatibility associated with the product, (iii) changes in technology which adversely affect the product's benefit, (iv) slowdowns in the general economy or technology industry that impact consumer spending habits, (v) internal strategy decisions that impact the product, (vi) issues relating to the performance of a customer's configuration caused by forces outside of the control of Rackspace; and (vi) other risks that are described in Rackspace Hosting's Form 10-Q for the year ended June 30, 2014, filed with the SEC on August 11, 2014. Except as required by law, Rackspace Hosting assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.