Mark Collier of Rackspace Cluod Builders talks to the WHIR about the company's new training program
(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Open source initiatives thrive on collaboration and education, so it seems like a natural step for OpenStack co-founder Rackspace (www.rackspace.com) to launch a training program for developers of the cloud platform.
Launched last week, the five-day sessions are delivered by Rackspace Cloud Builders, the Rackspace’s professional organization for OpenStack development, and promise hands-on training for OpenStack developers and administrators.
OpenStack, the open source cloud computing platform released nearly a year ago, is based on source code from Rackspace Cloud Files as well as technology that powers the NASA Nebula Cloud Platform. Since its launch, OpenStack has seen incredible support from web hosts building clouds, and contributing code to the platform.
Limited to 12 students per session, “Fundamentals Training for OpenStack” will hold its first class in Boston from September 26 to September 30, 2011. From there, the classes will go overseas to London, and then return to the US with a stop in Austin.
In an email Q&A with the WHIR, Mark Collier, VP of business development and marketing, Rackspace Cloud Builders, talks about what developers can expect from the program, and how it has adapted as a company to support OpenStack.
WHIR: When Rackspace first conceived OpenStack, did you envision the company would have to structurally adapt (i.e. Rackspace Cloud Builders) to accommodate the development?
Mark Collier: We think one reason OpenStack was so well received is that neither Rackspace nor NASA, the two initial contributors, are software companies with plans to sell an “enterprise version.” We specifically chose the Apache license to foster a strong ecosystem around the OpenStack technology in order to drive open cloud standards through adoption. Our customers actually pulled us in the direction of a services business, wanting us to stand behind the code with support and training, which is why we launched Rackspace Cloud Builders earlier this year. The pace of adoption has certainly been much faster than we could have ever imagined.
WHIR: How much overlap is there between the service Rackspace Cloud Builders offers and the OpenStack training classes?
MC: Rackspace Training for OpenStack is delivered by the Rackspace Cloud Builders team, in addition to the other services we offer such as Deployment and ongoing Support for OpenStack clouds. We have been conducting private training classes for our deployment customers since we launched the business earlier this year, and are now offering a formal schedule of classes to register at www.rackspace.com/cloudbuilders/openstack/training.
WHIR: Education seems to inherently lead toward some sort of certification or classification. Does Rackspace intend to offer a certification for those who take the training classes? Would these kinds of standards be determined by Rackspace or the OpenStack community?
MC: We are planning to introduce additional Rackspace training courses and certification for OpenStack in the future. We’ll have more details to announce in the coming months, but right now are focused on delivering the best foundational training program possible to help developers and systems administrators set up and run OpenStack clouds.
WHIR: Who are these classes designed for? What should attendees expect to take from the sessions?
MC: The Rackspace Training for OpenStack classes are designed for systems administrators and solutions architects who will be deploying and operating OpenStack clouds. After completing the technical, hands-on training course, students will walk away with the experience and knowledge to install, run and operate an OpenStack cloud.
WHIR: How do you see these classes evolving, in terms of geographical expansion or curriculum?
The initial five-day training course, Fundamentals Training for OpenStack, will be offered in Austin, Boston, London and San Antonio in 2011. We are planning to expand the geographical footprint and class offerings next year. On the curriculum side, we do expect to add classes over time to expand on the initial Fundamentals sessions.
About Nicole Henderson
Nicole Henderson writes full-time for the Web Host Industry Review where she covers daily news and features online, as well as in print. She has a bachelor of journalism from Ryerson University in Toronto, and has been writing for the WHIR since September 2010. You can find her on Twitter @NicoleHenderson.
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