One thing worth keeping in mind: it's no longer possible to purchase "raw infrastructure" on the Rackspace cloud; new accounts only have the option of "Managed Cloud" [1], which includes a service charge (minimum $50/month/account, on top of the hourly rate per server):
> We don't offer raw infrastructure without service. Because it takes more than high-performance, reliable infrastructure to succeed in the cloud. It takes full-featured, optimized platforms, and the expertise to run workloads wherever they'll achieve the highest performance, security, cost efficiency, and scalability.
> That's why we include high-touch service and expertise with every account.
(disclaimer: I interned at Rackspace this past summer)
> We don't offer raw infrastructure without service. Because it takes more than high-performance, reliable infrastructure to succeed in the cloud. It takes full-featured, optimized platforms, and the expertise to run workloads wherever they'll achieve the highest performance, security, cost efficiency, and scalability.
> That's why we include high-touch service and expertise with every account.
(disclaimer: I interned at Rackspace this past summer)
[1] http://www.rackspace.com/managed-cloud/