Cox-Owned RapidScale Promotes Intelisys, Windstream Vet – Again

RapidScale, which Cox Business owns, tapped Duane Barnes for a big appointment.

Barnes will work as the cloud service provider’s general manager and interim vice president. His new job places him in oversight of the company’s leadership team. Various aspects of the company, including architecture, engineering, service delivery and customer support now ultimately fall under his purview. He also functions as the “single point of accountability” for Cox Business Cloud Solutions.

RapidScale’s Duane Barnes

“I’m thrilled to fulfill this new role and continue to work with a brilliant leadership team that helps partners and companies grow their businesses,” Barnes said. “With today’s current events, the demand for managed cloud services is rapidly increasing and I’m eager to help RapidScale remain dedicated to providing innovative managed cloud solutions and industry-leading customer care.”

He works out of North Carolina.

Big 2020

Barnes has earned two promotions in one year. RapidScale announced in the summer that he would serve as chief operations officer. Previously, he was senior vice president of technology.

Cox Business’ Larry Steelman

Larry Steelman, Cox Business‘ vice president of new business ventures, praised Barnes’ performance over the last two years. Steelman noted Barnes’ deep multidisciplinary knowledge and “strong business acumen.”

Barnes worked in cloud strategy at Intelisys before coming to RapidScale. In addition, he tallied seven years at Windstream, working in solutions engineering. Other previous employers include PowerOne, Open-Xchange and Disney.

“We could not ask for a more talented leader who is committed to supporting the efforts of our organization,” Steelman said. “Furthermore, during this uncertain time, Duane has been critical in ensuring that RapidScale remains 100% focused on delivering industry-leading customer experience for our customers and partners.”

Cox Business bought RapidScale in 2018. Cox executives said customer feedback drove them to seek more cloud application services; thus, RapidScale’s managed services and cloud portfolio fit well.

RapidScale in the summer made its cloud solution available to remote workforces. The solution uses identity-as-a-service to integrate VMware SD-WAN by VeloCloud and various Microsoft cloud offerings.