AppFirst: Server Management for Cloud Service Providers

When Rackspace Hosting acquired Cloudkick in mid-December, two things happened: Rackspace got an integrated tool for managing and automating cloud server deployments — and AppFirst apparently became the only independent vendor of its kind.

At least, that’s the sales pitch for the new version of AppFirst’s cloud server management solution, providing “deep integration” with cloud platforms Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), SoftLayer (which recently merged with The Planet), GoGrid, and yes, Rackspace.

AppFirst says the Rackspace-Cloudkick deal strongly validates the business of cloud server management itself. It’s a critical business component, AppFirst says, and as an independent, self-governed company they’re the only ones who will do it for any of the major cloud players.

The AppFirst monitoring and management solution itself is delivered as SaaS, and installs data collectors on cloud servers automatically, providing administrators with information on metrics like network degradation in real-time. Enhanced visibility into the cloud means service providers don’t have to spend hours or days rooting out the source of a problem.

On the one hand, AppFirst makes a lot of sense with this approach to cloud server management. After all, isn’t it better for the service provider to be able to use the same solution, even if they change cloud platforms?

But on the other hand, any Apple fan will tell you that there’s something to be said for the integration the platform’s manufacturer can bring to system tools. After all, who’s better at knowing how to manage a Rackspace data center than Rackspace?

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