| Overall Rating | |
| Features | |
| Price | |
| Customer Service | |
| Reliability | |
| Uptime | |
| Ease of Use |
Many Web hosting companies you commonly see advertising target smaller site owners with shared hosting packages. But what happens if you need to host an e-commerce site or large corporate Web presence? Then you turn to dedicated or cloud hosting solutions. Cloud hosting gives you the benefit of greater reliability by letting you host multiple virtual instances in case one system goes down. But not all cloud hosts are created equal. When your business and customers depend on your site’s reliability, you need top notch solutions and support. That’s what Rackspace is known for.
Features
Here are some of the features of Rackspace’s cloud hosting packages.
Control Panel: You can control your sites through the Rackspace Cloud Control Panel.
Uptime: Rackspace offers a 100% network uptime guarantee.
Support: Rackspace is probably best known for their 24/7/365 “Fanatical Support.”
| Server Space | Bandwidth per month | Domains Allowed | Price per Month | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Managed Dedicated Servers | ||||
| Enhanced 1 | 3x73GB 10K SAS (RAID 5) | 2 TB | Unlimited | Starting at $769 / mo |
| Enhanced 2 | 2x146GB 15K SAS (RAID) | 2 TB | Unlimited | Starting at $1098 / mo |
| Performance 1 | 2x146GB 15K SAS (RAID) | 2 TB | Unlimited | Starting at $1199 / mo |
| Performance 2 | 2x146GB 15K SAS (RAID) | 2 TB | Unlimited | Please Enquire |
| Cloud Hosting | ||||
| Linux Cloud Servers | 10 GB – 620 GB | — | Unlimited | Starting at $10.95 / mo. / server* |
| Windows Cloud Servers | 40 GB – 620 GB | — | Unlimited | Starting at $58.40 / mo. / server* |
* Prices are starting rates for the lowest level of resources available, and are based on estimates of 730 monthly hours of service. You can customize the package based on the resources you need. There is an additional $100 monthly account fee (regardless of how many servers you have) and a fee of approximately $100 per month per server if you need managed cloud hosting.
Rackspace Pros
One of the biggest benefits of Rackspace hosting is their support. You commonly hear the phrase “you get what you pay for” when it comes to cheap Web hosting and poor support. Corporate clients and serious webmasters can’t afford to risk it. And that’s where hosts like Rackspace come in. No matter what day or time it is, a knowledgeable support rep will be there to make sure your site stays online and your business keeps on running smoothly on the Web.
Not only can cloud hosting keep you online more reliably than a single server, but Rackspace’s cloud hosting solutions are fully scalable to meet all of your hosting needs. And if you aren’t comfortable managing your own cloud hosting service you can pay a bit more each month to have their experienced technicians fully manage your servers for you.
Rackspace Cons
Rackspace’s only real issue is that they’re one of the more expensive hosts around. They simply aren’t meant for most budget site owners. But like we already noted, “you get what you pay for.” So if you want the best support and reliability, it’s common sense to know that you’re going to pay a premium for it.
In Conclusion
Rackspace isn’t the right host for everyone. If you’re just looking for a place to host a new blog for example, a shared hosting package elsewhere is a more economical option. But if you need serious hosting for a larger corporate presence or high traffic site, their cloud hosting (managed or not) might be one of the most reliable options available.
*Information in this review was valid at the time of writing – June 23, 2011.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. The author is not directly compensated by the inclusion of these links, and earns the same regardless of writing a positive or negative review. Web Hosting Directory prides itself on providing objective information and hosting reviews to help readers choose the best hosting provider for their needs.
