'Net Features : acquisition

Rackspace Adds to Developer Toolset

Allison Howen — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Cloud hosting provider Rackspace has acquired Exceptional Cloud Services in a move to enhance its toolset for developers deploying and managing applications in the open cloud.

Through the deal, Rackspace will expand its developer solutions to include error tracking and Redis-as-a-Service capabilities. Currently, more than 50,000 application developers use these solutions from Exceptional Cloud Services.

“Rackspace is improving the key technologies used by developers in the open cloud. Our focus on the developer community is deeper than ever before and we are carefully adding strategic technologies to our open hybrid cloud portfolio, while keeping the needs of application developers in mind,” said Pat Matthews, senior vice president of corporate development at Rackspace. “Through the acquisition of Exceptional Cloud Services, we’re gaining technology and expertise that will provide startups and cloud developers with the tools that help them deliver more reliable customer experiences and to bring the next generation of cloud-based apps to market faster.”

The acquisition will provide Rackspace with the following products:

Exceptional.io - Exceptional tracks errors in more than 6,000 Web applications. The service not only reports errors in real-time, but also gathers the information developers need to fix errors.

Airbrake.io - Airbrake collects errors generated by other applications and aggregates the results for review.

Redis To Go - Redis To Go helps users manage Redis instances easier, whether it’s one instance or hundreds.

Moreover, the Exceptional Cloud Services acquisition will also assist Rackspace in its recent push into the MongoDB market. This is because the company plans to integrate the Redis To Go solution with the MongoDB database as a service from ObjectRocket. By aligning these two solutions, Rackspace aims to provide developers with a choice of open source-based data platforms that increase the speed and reduce the complexity of building powerful applications on the Rackspace Open Cloud.

"Rackspace has taken another step towards creating a one-stop shop for the growing community of developers that are looking to build complex applications on the open cloud," said Melanie Posey, Research Vice President at IDC. "With today's acquisition of Exceptional Cloud Services, Rackspace gave depth to its application developer toolkit by adding error tracking capabilities, along with a caching solution from Redis To Go, which the company plans to integrate with its recently acquired MongoDB database as a service from ObjectRocket. The tools and depth of expertise that Rackspace gained through its recent acquisitions will collectively work to reduce the complexity associated with building open cloud applications and speed time to market, while helping the company extend its reach to a broader range of global developers.”

Groupon Lands a Savory Platform

Allison Howen — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 15:45:00 GMT

Groupon is sinking its teeth into the restaurant industry with its recent acquisition of Savored, which is a platform that enables diners to make free online reservations and pay lower prices at restaurants across the United States.

After booking a reservation with Savored and visiting the restaurant, diners receive up to a 40 percent discount applied automatically to their bill. However, the service is also beneficial to merchants, because they are provided with increased revenue for tables that would otherwise be empty. To date, more than 1,000 restaurants nationwide have used Savored’s platform for yield management.

“Savored’s platform nicely complements Groupon’s efforts in yield management, an area we’ve pioneered with Groupon Now!,” said Dan Roarty, VP of Groupon Now. “We look forward to working together to achieve a common goal - making dining out even more fun and affordable for consumers while helping restaurateurs manage inventory and grow their businesses.”

Although the terms of the deal were not disclosed, it is important to note that Savored is currently continuing its service for diners and restaurants, and interested merchants can learn more about participating in Savored’s free 30-day trial here.

Google Catches Fire in Social Media

Allison Howen — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 16:00:00 GMT

Google is getting even more serious about social.

The search engine giant recently announced its acquisition of Wildfire, a popular social media marketing platform. The ultimate goal of this acquisition, according to Google’s blog, is to help businesses create better and fresher content, as well as generate more meaningful interactions.

“With Wildfire, we’re looking forward to creating new opportunities for our clients to engage with people across all social services,” states the blog. “We believe that better content and more seamless solutions will help unlock the full potential of the web for people and businesses.”

It is also important to note that Wildfire's current clients won't see any changes to their service. Wildfire's blog states that for now, the company will remain focused on helping brands run and measure their social engagement and ad campaigns across the entire web and all social services – including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, Pinterest and LinkedIn.