Rackspace takes the wraps off Hadoop big data offering

Rackspace has launched a new big data solution that is available as both a managed or public cloud based service.

Dubbed the Hortonworks Data Platform, it is powered by the Apache Hadoop big data analytics platform and is available in two versions: Managed Big Data or Cloud Big Data Platform.

Managed Big Data offers customised configurations to address specific data processing requirements, reduces the amount of time required to deploy and maintain data processing environments and integrates the full range of tools in the Apache Hadoop ecosystem, Rackspace claimed.

Cloud Big Data Platform, on the other hand, allows customers to rapidly deploy and scale in the public cloud with a simple pricing system and a comprehensive partner ecosystem, the company said.

The Managed Big Data version is available for data centres located in the UK and the US. However, the Cloud Big Data Platform can only be deployed from Rackspace's US data centre.

IT Pro's sister title Cloud Pro was awaiting clarification as to why no public cloud option is available from the UK data centre at the time of publication.

"The volume of data being processed in businesses today is astounding. Companies need help analysing and extracting value from this vast amount of information, as Big Data solutions are difficult to deploy and harder to maintain," said John Engates, CTO of Rackspace.

"With Rackspace's Managed and Cloud Big Data Platform offerings, we're providing an open, hybrid Big Data solution for dedicated and cloud instances. Combining this technological expertise with enhanced support from Hortonworks allows us to bring a best-in-class Big Data solution to market."