Rackspace has launched managed-hosting and public-cloud service options for the Hortonworks Data Platform, one of the most popular distributions of the open-source big data analytics framework Apache Hadoop.

Customers can choose either of the options or take a hybrid approach, the provider said. The San Antonio, Texas-based company is also offering managed services around the big data solution.

Rackspace CTO John Engates, said, “The volume of data being processed in businesses today is astounding. Companies need help analysing and extracting value from this vast amount of information, as big data solutions are difficult to deploy and harder to maintain.”

Rackspace's pitch for using its Hadoop services includes customized configurations, integration with custom applications, reduced operational expenses and the simplicity of a single-vendor contract through the managed service offering.

John Kreisa, VP of strategic marketing, Hortonworks, said, “By combining the open source commitments of Rackspace and Hortonworks, we are creating a platform of capabilities that accelerates the adoption of open standards, while continuing to deliver expertise to the broader Hadoop community.”

These are the latest additions to Rackspace's portfolio of what the company calls “data infrastructure” offering delivered as a service. They join the provider’s traditional relational database solutions, as well as NoSQL offerings serving MongoDB and Redis-based applications through the recent acquisitions of ObjectRocket and Exceptional Cloud Services.