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AppFog, maker of a polyglot programming platform as a service (PaaS) for cloud-based application deployment and management, announced a new collaboration with Rackspace to enable its customers to deploy applications to the open Rackspace Cloud powered by OpenStack.
In addition, AppFogs solution will be available through the recently announced Rackspace Cloud Tools Marketplace.
AppFog will offer customers the ability to develop and deploy apps to the open Rackspace Cloud in an efficient and cost-effective manner, the company said. Highlighting a pay-for-RAM approach, developers are able to receive 2GB free of RAM simply by creating an account.
AppFog said users will gain the benefits of interoperability, as AppFog provides customers with the capacity to redeploy applications to Rackspace that are currently running on a different infrastructure as a service (IaaS) provider with zero-code migrations, while helping users avoid vendor lock-in.
AppFogs IaaS deployment options continue to expand with the addition of Rackspace to a list that already includes Amazon Web Services (AWS), Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft Azure. As a multi-language PaaS, AppFog supports Java, .NET, Node, Python, Ruby, PHP, MySQL, MongoDB, Postgres and more.
“We are very excited to align our efforts with Rackspace, said Lucas Carlson, chief executive officer of AppFog, in a statement. As a market leader and a powerful force within OpenStack, Rackspace is a valuable option for developers looking for a reliable, scalable and secure IaaS option. With Cloud Databases and Cloud Servers powered by OpenStack, we can be assured that our efforts support open standards, protect against vendor lock-in and enable developers to deploy on public or private OpenStack-based clouds.”
The Rackspace Cloud Tools Marketplace is a catalog of third-party-developed applications designed for the Rackspace Cloud. By leveraging OpenStack and developing solutions specifically for the open Rackspace Cloud, AppFog provides increased flexibility for customers. Additionally, through the marketplace, customers can now browse, review and connect to cloud solutions focused on management, monitoring, application deployment, security and a host of other areas.
Were excited to be working with AppFog and for their platform to be available through the Rackspace Cloud Tools Marketplace, Ven Shanmugam, senior manager of corporate strategy at Rackspace, said in a statement. AppFog provides developers with a trusted platform for application development and deployment, and we look forward to ongoing collaboration to have these capabilities available to our customers.
On July 18, Rackspace announced its upgraded Cloud Tools Marketplace. Through the Cloud Tools Marketplace, developers and enterprise IT professionals building on the open Rackspace Cloud can evaluate more than 100 industry-leading technologies to deliver advanced capabilities for their environments hosted at Rackspace.
Moreover, through its experience in working with more than 180,000 customers, Rackspace has developed the Cloud Tools Marketplace to support an open ecosystem. With enhanced search functionality, customers can now more easily browse through various categories of technologies, find specific solutions to address their business needs and connect with these applications. The marketplace also provides more resources for customers to make an informed decision, including demo videos, screenshots and user reviews.
Over the past three years, Rackspace has grown the Cloud Tools program because of its commitment to openness and collaboration with best-of-breed solution providers, said John Engates, chief technology officer at Rackspace. The Cloud Tools Marketplace provides an ideal customer experience by making it easier for them to identify the most appropriate technologies to use with their open cloud deployment.
Also with the launch of the open Rackspace Cloud, it became even simpler for application developers to join the Cloud Tools program and leverage the portability of OpenStack technology.
And through its growing ecosystem, Rackspace is able to extend capabilities provided by third parties to customers in a host of areas, such as:
- Cloud Management Platforms: enStratus, RightScale and ScaleXtreme
- Monitoring and Reporting: Cloudability and New Relic
- Application Deployment: Standing Cloud
- Security: CloudPassage, Dome9 and StillSecure
- Databases: Xeround and MongoLab
- SMTP Email: SendGrid
One of the things that we’ve seen in a variety of other markets is that the existence of third-party products and a third-party market for tools that interoperate with a given platform is an extremely important part of the customer experience,” said Nand Mulchandani, chief executive officer and co-founder of ScaleXtreme. “We think being featured in the Cloud Tools Marketplace and having direct interoperability with Rackspace will be a big win for the customer.”