Datapipe First to Market with Apache CloudStack Platform

Cloud builders may want to take note: Datapipe now has what it’s calling the first globally available Apache CloudStack platform after updating its Stratosphere Elastic Cloud Computing Platform.

Built on the Citrix CloudPlatform, the Stratosphere platform is now available in Silicon Valley, the New York Metro area, Northern Virginia, London, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Not exactly global, but covering three of the continents on the planet. All regions will have access to the 10GbE Apache CloudStack-based platform through a single, self-service customer portal.

For service providers, Stratosphere was designed for interoperability with Amazon Web Services so they can build, manage and support highly scalable infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) offerings for their customers.

“Datapipe’s vision of providing high-performance, elastic cloud services that meet the needs of the global enterprise — while embracing Amazon AWS compatibility and open source innovation — is well-aligned with our cloud efforts at Citrix,” said Peter Ulander, Citrix’s vice president of product marketing, in a prepared statement.

Datapipe provides a variety of hosted and cloud services through its five data centers, and it has been recognized as one of Talkin’ Cloud’s Top 100 Cloud Service Providers this year. No. 21, in fact.

In addition to its Apache CloudStack announcement, Datapipe also recently announced its support for RightScale cloud management. Stratosphere provides several features the company is using to appeal to customers, including:

Ed Laczynski, Datapipe’s vice president of cloud strategy, noted partnerships with Citrix CloudPlatform and Apache CloudStack have helped to foster innovation that has removed much of the confusion and difficulty associated with operating cloud platforms.

That may very well be true, but the complexity of managing cloud platforms and infrastructure is an ongoing battle that isn’t easily solved. Cloud service providers and IT shops are struggling each day to properly manage and secure not just traditional infrastructure within the four walls of an enterprise, but also the increasing number of cloud services and being made available through both public and private clouds.