Cloud & managed fees!

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Posted by Techy, 07-25-2011, 11:42 AM
Hi everyone, I was just looking at Rackspace's cloud hosting and was wondering what people are really willing to pay for managed cloud server. There base package is $10.99 a month and if you want your server managed, your package becomes more like $200/mo. (How do you figure, well .12/hour + 100 flat fee = $187.6 [they factor 730 hours in a month]. Is that really a feasible rate for management (I might argue yes since I have no experience managing my own server let alone a cloud server)? That got me to thinking what other people in/around the industry would be WILLING to pay on top of a plan for a truly managed cloud server!
Posted by devonblzx, 07-25-2011, 12:11 PM
As far as I know, Rackspace's cloud servers are nothing more than a regular VPS on their redundant network. $187 seems extreme. We find that with our managed servers, most customers require about 2 hours the first month then barely anything after that. If you have a smart management system where you can update your managed servers efficiently it really should cost less than $187 a month. I can maybe see Rackspace charging $250 per year, as remote hands there is pretty expensive, but the first month is usually the only time consuming area as it is when you get the server setup and secured.
Posted by JasonD10, 07-25-2011, 03:33 PM
Many years ago we charged $300/server for full management. As technology has progressed, and so has software management the time involved with managing a server has also gone down. $188/mo is still on the high end of the spectrum for a Cloud Server (virtualized environment) but, also look on the low end and you'll see providers doing it for $30/mo or so. Quite simply, time is money and quality engineers require reasonable salaries. Somewhere in the middle is going to be your best bet for value and quality.
Posted by tchen, 07-25-2011, 03:41 PM
Rackspace's target market is the segment where $200/mo (per server) is the pocket change that's lost under the couch cushions. Keep in mind, this is a segment where they'll happily go to Rightscale and purchase a $2500+$500/mo just to get automated monitoring and server instantiation.
Posted by Techy, 07-25-2011, 04:00 PM
I agree you get what you pay for. I also agree that Rackspace's audience is a bit more advanced than what I need, but I am glad to see some people still feel you need to pay for quality services!
Posted by x86brandon, 07-25-2011, 09:17 PM
The managed level would certainly not making sense for a single server, or even 2 or 3. It might make sense for a bigger server like 4GB+ depending on circumstance too.
Posted by paulacastromo, 09-26-2011, 02:30 PM
Rackspace's options are oriented to large scale clients that is why the plans they work with are really high. There are many options available in the Net to test the service in order to get the advantages you need without spending a lot of many. A good advice can be asking for a trial test before subscribing to any service.

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