The Official Rackspace Blog » Small Teams Big Impact http://www.rackspace.com/blog The Official Rackspace Blog Fri, 24 May 2013 18:09:28 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 Rackspace Takes a Look at the ERLANG Language http://www.rackspace.com/blog/rackspace-takes-a-look-at-the-erlang-language/ http://www.rackspace.com/blog/rackspace-takes-a-look-at-the-erlang-language/#comments Tue, 26 Mar 2013 23:21:01 +0000 JJ Casas http://www.rackspace.com/blog/?p=28328 In this interview with Joe Armstrong and Robert Virding, two of the co-creators of the Erlang programming language, Duncan McGreggor, Sr. Engineering Manager at Rackspace gets a journey through Erlang’s background, look at its strengths, and ponder the future of computing in a distributed world.

Joe: http://www.sics.se/~joe/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/joeerl

Robert: https://github.com/rvirding?tab=repositories
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rvirding

Duncan: http://cogitat.io/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/oubiwann

]]> http://www.rackspace.com/blog/rackspace-takes-a-look-at-the-erlang-language/feed/ 0 ReachLocal: Home Repairs Through ClubLocal http://www.rackspace.com/blog/reachlocal-home-repairs-through-clublocal/ http://www.rackspace.com/blog/reachlocal-home-repairs-through-clublocal/#comments Fri, 15 Mar 2013 07:57:15 +0000 JJ Casas http://www.rackspace.com/blog/?p=28058 How do you extend the Uber model to not just car rides but to local merchants? By creating ClubLocal, ReachLocal’s new space that makes it easy for anyone to schedule and book a local merchant for their needs all through their phone in less than a minute. Just like Uber, ClubLocal allows you to book a merchant on your phone, see the estimated time of arrival of the merchant, complete the task on hand, and close the transaction back on your phone with payment and ratings.

So that leak in your kitchen that started in the morning can now find a highly reviewed and qualified local plumber in a matter of minutes, book one in seconds, see the estimated arrival, and ultimately have that leak fixed within a couple of hours.

http://reachlocal.com
http://twitter.com/reachlocal

]]> http://www.rackspace.com/blog/reachlocal-home-repairs-through-clublocal/feed/ 0 The Rackspace Open Cloud Storms SXSW Interactive 2013 http://www.rackspace.com/blog/the-rackspace-open-cloud-storms-sxsw-interactive-2013/ http://www.rackspace.com/blog/the-rackspace-open-cloud-storms-sxsw-interactive-2013/#comments Tue, 05 Mar 2013 22:00:51 +0000 Andrea Michnik http://www.rackspace.com/blog/?p=27518 It’s hard to believe that SXSW Interactive starts this week in Austin. We’re still recovering from last year’s awesomeness.

Rackspace will be out in full force at SXSW this year showcasing the Rackspace Open Cloud and evangelizing the startup movement. We’ll be headquartered at Champions Sports Bar & Restaurant at the Courtyard Marriot (300 East 4th Street at Trinity, across from the Austin Convention Center), so be sure to stop in and see us.

Here’s a brief overview of where you can find us during SXSW. And if you want to find us on Twitter, be sure to keep an eye on the hash-tag #SXRackspace.

The Open Cloud Experience At SXSW

We’re bringing the Open Cloud Experience to SXSW Interactive this year. Join us at Champions for a host of amazing open cloud activities. We’ll be there from March 8 to March 11.

Here are some of the things we have in store:

Friday, March 8:

  • 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.: Kick-off with an Exclusive VIP Opening Reception
  • 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.: StartupBus Grand Finale

Saturday, March 9:

  • 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Open Cloud Experience
  • 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.:  Robert Scoble Live from SXSW
  • 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.:  Robert Scoble Live from SXSW
  • 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.: Lean Startup Party-sponsored by NEO

Sunday, March 10:

  • 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Open Cloud Experience
  • 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.:  Robert Scoble Live from SXSW
  • 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.:  Robert Scoble Live from SXSW
  • 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.: Cloud HQ at night (more details to come)

Monday, March 11:

  • 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.:Open Cloud Experience
  • 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.:  Robert Scoble Live from SXSW
  • 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.:  Robert Scoble Live from SXSW
  • 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.: Closing Party (more details to come)

Other Events At The Open Cloud Experience

  • In the Press Box-Rackspace Studios Interviews: Live from SXSW with Robert Scoble.  This will be live-streamed, for your viewing pleasure.
  • Build Your Game Plan at the Developer Zone: A line up of our Rackspace All-Stars talking you through the Xs & Os for build a winning game plan for you.
  • Coach’s Corner: Schedule to meet one-on-one with a Cloud Solution Architect or Developer Advocate.
  • Energize Zone: Refresh & Recharge for your second-half of the day. Kick back, relax and enjoy some downtime from the SXSW mania.
  • The Winner’s Circle: Interact with Solutions on the Open Cloud.
  • Recruiting Corner: Rackspace HR Scouters will be on-hand to select future Racker All-Stars & Hall of Famers.

Tech Talks

A number of Rackers will be on-hand at SXSW Interactive to discuss the open cloud through a series of tech talks. Come to Champions to check them out to get more insight into the Rackspace open cloud:

Saturday, March 9:

  • 12 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Why Open with Rackspace Cloud Strategist Hart Hoover
  • 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m.: OpenStack 101 with Rackspace Cloud Evangelista Niki Acosta
  • 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.: FAIL: the best ways to bring down your website (and how to avoid them) with Rackspace Developer Relations Manager Glen Campbell
  • 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.: Rightscale: Managing the Dynamic World of Cloud

Sunday, March 10:

  • 12 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Why Open with Rackspace Cloud Strategist Hart Hoover
  • 12:30  p.m. to 1 p.m.: Architecture of a SaaS app: Consuming other SaaS apps with Rackspace Compute Product Marketing Leader  Prabhakar Gopalan
  • 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.: Rightscale:  Managing the Dynamic World of Cloud
  • 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.: How Lean is Your Startup with Rackspace Cloud Consultant and Evangelist Adam Hansen

Monday, March 11:

  • 12 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Why Open with Rackspace Cloud Strategist Hart Hoover
  • 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m.: Startup lessons: Migrating from a Rails PaaS to an IaaS with The Frontside’s Charles Lowell
  • 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.: The Cross-Cloud Conundrum with Rackspace Developer Advocate Everett Toews
  • 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.: OpenStack 101 with Rackspace Cloud Evangelista Niki Acosta

Tech Tac Toe

The Rackspace SXSW street team and volunteers will be handing out Tech Tac Toe game boards at Champions and around the convention center. Attendees can play the game for a chance at prizes. It’s simple to win – players spot the different items from the list at the bottom of the game board and take turns filling it in. The rules of traditional Tic Tac Toe apply: the first player to reach three in a row wins and can bring the board to Champions for a prize (while supplies last).

StartupBus Comes To Rackspace

Last year, StartupBus made a quick stop at our San Antonio headquarters on its way to SXSW. This year, we’re the main stop! Yes, StartupBus’ new destination is our Castle headquarters. Rackspace will host StartupBus March 6 and March 7 for working sessions, semifinals and finals.

StartupCrawl

Working with Capital Factory, Rackspace is a sponsor of StartupCrawl 2013 – it’s a bar crawl, but for startups. From 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, March 7, stop by some of the best startups on the Austin tech scene for a free beer or drink, to drop off a resume, check out the office or just say hello before SXSW Interactive gets into full swing. Shuttles will take you from startup to startup and then back to the beginning – the shuttles run 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Every startup will have its own unique beverage, activity, t-shirt or all of the above.

SXSW Interactive Accelerator

Rackspace is also a category sponsor in the Innovative Web Technologies category for the SXSW Interactive Accelerator, a cutting-edge showcase for the hottest emerging startups to present their new technologies to a panel of industry experts, early adopters and representatives from the venture capital community. That accelerator runs March 8 through March 12 at the Hilton Austin Downtown.

Lean Startup Conference & After Party

Join Dave McClure, Eric Ries and 1,000 tech startups and influencers for a day of case studies and keynotes about what it actually takes to build a killer startup. The event will feature some of the most important entrepreneurs and innovators in tech today The Lean Startup Conference runs 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 9 at the Hilton Austin Downtown. Following the conference is a Lean Startup After-party with 500 Startups, scheduled for 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at Champions.

To stay on top of all of the things Rackspace has happening at SXSW, be sure to check our page: http://try.rackspace.com/sxsw/. And, remember, for Twitter updates, keep an eye out for the hash-tag #SXRackspace.

]]> http://www.rackspace.com/blog/the-rackspace-open-cloud-storms-sxsw-interactive-2013/feed/ 0 Marc Andreessen on the age of context (er, the future of the tech industry) http://www.rackspace.com/blog/marc-andreessen-on-the-age-of-context-er-the-future-of-the-tech-industry/ http://www.rackspace.com/blog/marc-andreessen-on-the-age-of-context-er-the-future-of-the-tech-industry/#comments Thu, 21 Feb 2013 21:48:10 +0000 JJ Casas http://www.rackspace.com/blog/?p=27196 At Rackspace http://www.rackspace.com we care deeply about where startups and the future is going, especially since so many of the technologies we use will require new kinds of cloud computing technologies.

For instance, how are sensors, wearable computers, big data, social data, and location data changing Silicon Valley business? We keep hearing big changes are ahead so we went and visited Marc Andreessen, founder of Netscape to talk about the future of the tech industry. He’s on the boards of HP, Facebook, and many others and is largely seen as one of the best investors on Sand Hill Road now. http://a16z.com is where you learn more about his VC firm, Andreessen Horowitz http://a16z.com

Some things we learned: “we are going to have a virtual overlay on the real world.”

]]> http://www.rackspace.com/blog/marc-andreessen-on-the-age-of-context-er-the-future-of-the-tech-industry/feed/ 0 Got A Fanatical Startup? Tell Us For A Chance To Be Interviewed By Robert Scoble http://www.rackspace.com/blog/got-a-fanatical-startup-tell-us-for-a-chance-to-be-interviewed-by-robert-scoble/ http://www.rackspace.com/blog/got-a-fanatical-startup-tell-us-for-a-chance-to-be-interviewed-by-robert-scoble/#comments Thu, 21 Feb 2013 21:30:25 +0000 Andrea Michnik http://www.rackspace.com/blog/?p=27159 Do you have a kick-butt startup, but can’t make it out to SXSW Interactive in Austin next month to spread the word? Here’s your chance to do it in a big way – without having to travel.

We’re offering startups a chance to be interviewed by Robert Scoble in a Google+ Hangout during SXSW 2013. All you have to do is record a one-minute video answering a single question: “What makes my startup Fanatical?”

To be considered, follow Rackspace on Google+ and submit a link to your video in the comment section of our call for submission entry. This opportunity is open to any startup that can’t be in Austin for the SXSW Interactive conference, but is still so Fanatical they deserve to be interviewed by an awesome tech influencer.

For consideration, videos must be posted by 11:59 p.m. PST on Wednesday, February 27 – that gives you just one week so get your video together quickly! Participants will be chosen on or around March 4 and interviews will take place between March 9 and March 11 in the evening. We just ask that you limit your submission to one video per organization.

Know of other Fanatical startups? Share this announcement with others who might be interested.

Let us know what makes your startup Fanatical!

]]> http://www.rackspace.com/blog/got-a-fanatical-startup-tell-us-for-a-chance-to-be-interviewed-by-robert-scoble/feed/ 1 Chartio: Building Beautiful Charts With Your Data http://www.rackspace.com/blog/chartio-building-beautiful-charts-with-your-data/ http://www.rackspace.com/blog/chartio-building-beautiful-charts-with-your-data/#comments Thu, 21 Feb 2013 19:09:48 +0000 JJ Casas http://www.rackspace.com/blog/?p=27187 Data will always be important because it provides many answers to questions of inventory, conversion rates, and profitability. While charting data is not new, Chartio makes it easy for anyone whether you’re technical or not to understand their data in a powerful but lightweight dashboard. As companies become more data driven, it will be even more important to be able collect, analyze, interpret, and deploy the next decision based on the information provided.

Dave Fowler, Founder and CEO, explains that Chartio makes setting up a dashboard easy by integrating with your existing data securely including MySQL, Amazon Web Services RDS, Rackspace Cloud Databases, Salesforce, and Google Analytics.  Today Chartio announced support for Salesforce making it easy to see your Salesforce data in real-time and alongside other data sources. Besides charting your data, Chartio is setting out to make your data as stunning as it can be with its great interactive dashboard.

http://chartio.com
http://twitter.com/chartio

]]> http://www.rackspace.com/blog/chartio-building-beautiful-charts-with-your-data/feed/ 0 Mixpanel: The Most Advanced Analytics for Web and Mobile http://www.rackspace.com/blog/mixpanel-the-most-advanced-analytics-for-web-and-mobile/ http://www.rackspace.com/blog/mixpanel-the-most-advanced-analytics-for-web-and-mobile/#comments Sat, 16 Feb 2013 00:40:01 +0000 JJ Casas http://www.rackspace.com/blog/?p=27071 The most solid way to understand your users is to understand the data that they can provide on both the web and mobile apps. By being able to measure visitor interaction and engagement, companies can learn what its visitors are doing and what keeps them on their page or app. While tracking how many people have visited your site is one metric, tracking how often or how much the page is revisited or used is even more useful. Suhail Doshi, Co-Founder of Mixpanel, explains hows Mixpanel can empower a content creator with tools to understand their user base by measuring specific metrics and improving upon it both on desktop and mobile platforms.

https://mixpanel.com/
https://twitter.com/mixpanel

]]> http://www.rackspace.com/blog/mixpanel-the-most-advanced-analytics-for-web-and-mobile/feed/ 0 Nestivity: The Better Way to Manage Your Twitter Followers http://www.rackspace.com/blog/nestivity-the-better-way-to-manage-your-twitter-followers/ http://www.rackspace.com/blog/nestivity-the-better-way-to-manage-your-twitter-followers/#comments Thu, 07 Feb 2013 23:31:04 +0000 JJ Casas http://www.rackspace.com/blog/?p=26833 How do you talk with your Twitter following and not just at them? Nestivity provides the tools to transform your account into a community. For example, your incoming tweets can became an engaging discussion sparking more involvement with your followers.  When people reply or add comments, they’re essentially tweets in which they keep adding to the discussion. With Nestivity’s dashboard, you can ask questions, post ideas and even have a number of moderators to help curate the content with the administrative tools. This will be an invaluable tool for not just for individuals but for brands who want to have a better customer service experience or even start discussions with its products via Twitter.

http://nestivity.com
https://twitter.com/nestivity

]]> http://www.rackspace.com/blog/nestivity-the-better-way-to-manage-your-twitter-followers/feed/ 0 AgilONE: Understand Customers with a 360 Degree View http://www.rackspace.com/blog/agileone-understand-customers-with-a-360-degree-view/ http://www.rackspace.com/blog/agileone-understand-customers-with-a-360-degree-view/#comments Thu, 07 Feb 2013 00:53:31 +0000 JJ Casas http://www.rackspace.com/blog/?p=26790 Marketers can only reach their targeted audience if it is relevant, and AgilONE wants to ensure that by allowing marketers understand the customer by consolidating the customer’s data through various sources to provide a 360 degree view.

AgilONE’s CEO Omer Artun explains how it uses data management, marketing intelligence and predictive analysis to become a marketer’s solution and not just a tool. With its smart features, it provides marketers the ability to pinpoint their campaigns to the customers they really want.

http://agilone.com
https://twitter.com/AgilOne/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/AgilOne/180947681989849

]]> http://www.rackspace.com/blog/agileone-understand-customers-with-a-360-degree-view/feed/ 0 Tellagence: Predicting the Future’s Social Interaction http://www.rackspace.com/blog/tellagence-predicting-the-futures-social-interaction/ http://www.rackspace.com/blog/tellagence-predicting-the-futures-social-interaction/#comments Wed, 06 Feb 2013 23:20:45 +0000 JJ Casas http://www.rackspace.com/blog/?p=26787 Marketers are always working on their next successful campaign and finding ways to increase their chances of reaching to their targeted market. Tellagance seeks to predict how information moves across social networks and see how people interact in context which will give marketers guidance to their next campaign. In order to predict a social phenomenon, Tellagence studies the past and current interaction to enable marketers to increase their brand visibility and ultimately gain better interactions from their campaigns.

http://www.tellagence.com/
http://twitter.com/tellagence
https://www.facebook.com/Tellagence
http://www.youtube.com/tellagenceinc

]]> http://www.rackspace.com/blog/tellagence-predicting-the-futures-social-interaction/feed/ 0