Rackspace announced Rackspace Kubernetes-as-a-Service, a highly-available managed service that transforms the way enterprises can utilize new container technologies, accelerating their digital transformation.

Rackspace is focused on delivering true transformation as a service across applications, data, security and infrastructure. With this offering, Rackspace will allow enterprises to consume Kubernetes-as-a-Service across all leading public and private cloud platforms to help empower multi-cloud strategies, modernize application development and accelerate time to market, while providing significant cost savings.

According to 451 Research, the application container software market will grow 40 percent over the next few years to nearly $3 billion in 2020.  As container adoption booms, Kubernetes has quickly become the leading container orchestration technology for managing production workloads. However, most businesses lack the internal resources and expertise needed to effectively manage a Kubernetes environment on their own.

By delivering a fully managed Kubernetes-as-a-Service, Rackspace is allowing organizations to focus more time and resources on building and running their applications. With Kubernetes-as-a-Service, Rackspace delivers an unmatched level of ongoing operations management and support for the entire technology stack, from the hardware to the Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) to Kubernetes, including the containers and cluster application services such as monitoring, logging, analytics and other functions.

"Kubernetes is an important part of our cloud transformation strategy," said Mike Trkay, vice president of Cloud Services at FICO. "Having a trusted partner like Rackspace, who can eliminate the complexity of having to operate Kubernetes ourselves, will enable us to better focus on delivering our industry-leading tools and capabilities to fight fraud, manage risk and help businesses make better decisions."

This offering allows businesses to take advantage of the benefits of consuming Kubernetes as part of Rackspace Private Cloud as a Service today, including:

• Transforming "Day 2" Operations: Rackspace helps customers achieve a successful transformation to container-based workloads. In addition to getting customers up and running quickly and easily, Rackspace goes a step further by managing ongoing "Day 2" operations for customers, including updates, high availability upgrades, patching and security hardening for Kubernetes, all managed cluster services and the node operating system.  These operations are the lynchpin to realize success with containers and require extensive skill and experience to implement successfully in production.
• Superior Economics: Customers can save up to 50 percent with Rackspace Kubernetes-as-a- Service versus operating it themselves. Customers have options to better predict and control costs, consume the service primarily in an opex or capex model, and the ability to locate the servers and storage wherever they're needed, including in the customer data center, Rackspace data center, third party colocation facility, and soon, in leading public clouds.
• Making Multi-Cloud a Reality: Customers can deploy and manage Kubernetes clusters across private and public clouds, using a single management platform for Kubernetes clusters spanning multiple cloud platforms. Rackspace operates this, insulating the customer from the complexity inherent in spanning multiple clouds.
• Enterprise-Grade Security: From the infrastructure to the cluster itself, including the containers running inside the cluster and additional services required to run the application, Rackspace secures Kubernetes-as-a-Service using industry best practices. Rackspace experts fully validate and vet each component of the service, provide static container scanning and enable customers to restrict user access to the environment. Rackspace has the people, processes and technology in place to help customers meet security, compliance and data sovereignty needs.

"Today, we're making the most modern infrastructure consumable by every enterprise," said Scott Crenshaw, executive vice president of private clouds at Rackspace. "With Kubernetes-as-a-Service, we are providing the industry's simplest Kubernetes consumption model by delivering it fully configured, tested and validated at enterprise scale with the managed cluster services customers need to effectively run their applications. Rackspace's combination of operational experience and open source expertise, coupled with the security, improved economics and a fully managed Kubernetes offering available on leading public and private cloud technologies, helps companies accelerate their digital transformation."

Kubernetes-as-a-Service will be available on Rackspace Private Cloud in all regions in May.  Support for public clouds is planned for release later in 2018. Click for more information on Rackspace Kubernetes-as-a-Service.