LAS VEGAS, NV--(Marketwired - August 28, 2017) - Rackspace® today announced from VMworld® in Las Vegas that it intends to offer Fanatical Support® for VMware Cloud on AWS through VMware's Managed Service Provider (MSP) program early next year.

VMware Cloud on AWS brings VMware's enterprise class Software-Defined Data Center software to the AWS Cloud, and enables customers to run applications across VMware vSphere®-based private, public and hybrid cloud environments, with optimized access to AWS services. Delivered, sold and supported by VMware as an on-demand and subscription service, IT teams manage their cloud-based resources with familiar VMware tools, and work with their partners of choice such as Rackspace.

With this announcement, Rackspace will build on its relationship with VMware to offer mutual customers:

• Multi-Cloud Choice: Mutual customers will have more choice across multiple cloud environments. Rackspace will help enable mutual customers to run their VMware workloads out of the datacenter and in the best-fit location, whether in Rackspace datacenters or VMware Cloud on AWS.
• VMware and AWS Expertise: Rackspace is recognized as a global, at-scale provider of managed and professional services for VMware and AWS. The company is a leading VMware Cloud Provider Partner and runs one of the largest vSphere footprints in the world. In addition, Rackspace has achieved Premier Consulting Partner status, the highest tier within the AWS Partner Network (APN), and is an audited AWS Managed Service Partner for its Fanatical Support for AWS offering.
• Managed Services: Through Fanatical Support for VMware Cloud on AWS, Rackspace will provide architecture, provisioning and management guidance, as well as assist customers with capacity management and workload mobility between Rackspace data centers and AWS data centers.

"With the same architecture and operational experience on-premises and in the cloud, customers can quickly derive business value from a hybrid cloud experience based on AWS, Rackspace and VMware," said Ajay Patel, senior vice president and general manager of Product Development for Cloud Services at VMware. "Rackspace has extended its Fanatical Support to VMware technologies for more than 10 years, and VMware Cloud on AWS presents another opportunity to help mutual customers architect, manage and optimize their existing and future VMware-based applications. We're excited to take this next step and collaborate with Rackspace as they grow and evolve with VMware to meet our mutual customers' needs."

"VMware Cloud on AWS is a strong collaboration between two of the leading technology providers in the industry, and will deliver high value to customers who want to run their VMware workloads in the best-fit environment," said Peter FitzGibbon, vice president and general manager of VMware at Rackspace. "Operating across multiple cloud deployments is relatively new to many organizations, however, and some mutual customers will want support to operate VMware Cloud on AWS effectively. As a leading VMware Cloud Provider Partner and a Premier Consulting Partner in the AWS Partner Network, Rackspace is uniquely positioned to provide multi-cloud expertise and identify customer needs. We're excited to deliver Fanatical Support for VMware Cloud on AWS to customers and look forward to continuing our work with VMware to support the managed service provider model for VMware Cloud on AWS."

Fanatical Support for VMware Cloud on AWS will be available in 2018. In addition to Fanatical Support for VMware Cloud on AWS, Rackspace recently announced the general availability of its Rackspace Private Cloud powered by VMware offering, now built on VMware Cloud Foundation™. To learn more about Fanatical Support for VMware Cloud on AWS, please visit www.rackspace.com/vmware/aws. To learn more about Rackspace's full VMware portfolio, please visit https://www.rackspace.com/vmware.

About Rackspace
Rackspace, the #1 managed cloud company, helps businesses tap the power of cloud computing without the complexity and cost of managing it all on their own. Rackspace engineers deliver specialized expertise, easy-to-use tools, and Fanatical Support® for leading technologies including AWS, Google, Microsoft, OpenStack and VMware. The company serves customers in 150 countries, including more than half of the FORTUNE 100. Rackspace was named a leader in the 2017 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Public Cloud Infrastructure Managed Service Providers, Worldwide, and has been honored by Fortune, Forbes, and others as one of the best companies to work for. Learn more at www.rackspace.com.

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