Rackspace Hosting (NYSE: RAX), the world's leading specialist in the hosting and cloud computing industry, today announced that Lanham Napier, president and chief executive officer, was named one of the Top 100 Most Influential Executives in the Industry by Everything Channel's CRN.

Since arriving at Rackspace, Napier has been largely credited by Rackspace's management team with keeping the company steady and setting it on its current path to profitability and success. His work with the executive team has grown the company, and has made Rackspace a strong competitor in the hosting and cloud computing industry. Under Napier's leadership, Rackspace has successfully launched channel programs for the company's managed hosting, cloud computing and email hosting businesses.

Napier attributes much of Rackspace's success to its deep passion and interest in the customer at every level of the company, and its hallmark customer service – Fanatical Support®. This commitment from Napier and Rackspace has enabled the company to build a network of over 2,500 dedicated hosting partners and 2,000 cloud partners, including recognized industry names like Ingram Micro and NetApp. These unique partner programs are expected to be integrated into one global program in early 2011.

Selected by the editors of CRN, the Top 100 Most Influential Executives in the Industry listing recognizes the executives who have changed the way the channel does business today and in the future. This year's list salutes the 25 Most Influential Executives – individuals who are focused on innovation, as well as consistency and those overcoming remarkable challenges; the 25 Channel Sales Leaders – hard charging executives who are driving their indirect organization and partners forward with sales and marketing initiatives; the 25 Most Innovative Executives – individuals who exude innovation from either a technology or business strategy front; and the 25 Mavericks – executives whose brash and bold thinking is changing the rules of the channel.

?Receiving this recognition from Everything Channel's CRN as one of the most influential individuals is truly an honor,? said Lanham Napier, president and CEO of Rackspace. ?At Rackspace, we strive to be a good collaborator for our channel partners, helping to educate them about new technologies like hybrid hosting and helping them to reach new markets. We are fully committed to delivering the best and broadest portfolio available to our channel partners.?

?With so many innovative channel executives in the industry today, we've expanded our list to include 100 executives. We've highlighted the most influential, the sales leaders, the most innovative as well as those who have changed the rules of the channel. We salute these leaders for their hard work and devotion to the technology channel,? said Robert C. DeMarzo, senior vice president and editorial director, Everything Channel.

The Top 100 Most Influential list was based on nominations from solution providers and industry executives rating channel influence, effectiveness and visibility along with business and sales impact.

Winners were announced in the November 29 issue of CRN. To read about the Top 100 Most Influential Executives in the Industry, go to www.channelweb.com.

About Rackspace Hosting

Rackspace Hosting is the world's leading specialist in the hosting and cloud computing industry. The San Antonio-based company provides Fanatical Support® to its customers, across a portfolio of IT services, including Managed Hosting, Cloud Computing and Email and Apps. For more information, visit www.rackspace.com.

Everything Channel (www.everythingchannel.com, www.channelweb.com)

Everything Channel, headquartered in Framingham, MA, is the one-stop shop for managing and accelerating technology sales. From branding and recruiting to marketing and sales, Everything Channel offers technology marketers the unmatched breadth and depth of global brands and market intelligence combined with unparalleled audience loyalty and credibility serving all technology sales channels through an extensive database. Everything Channel provides innovative field sales and marketing solutions to arm the sellers of technology with the resources they need to achieve measurable and significant results.

About United Business Media Limited (www.unitedbusinessmedia.com)

United Business Media Limited (UBM) is a global media and marketing services company that informs markets and brings the world's buyers and sellers together at events, online, in print, and with the information they need to do business successfully. UBM serves professional and commercial communities, from IT professionals to doctors, from journalists to jewelry dealers, from farmers to pharmacists around the world. UBM employs more than 6,500 people in more than 30 countries. UBM's businesses operating in the US include CMPMedica, Commonwealth Business Media, Everything Channel, PR Newswire, RISI, TechInsights, TechWeb and Think Services. UBM is listed on the London Stock Exchange (UBM.L) and has a market capitalization of $1.6 billion.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, the results of Rackspace Hosting could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including any statements about historical results or third party data that may suggest trends for our business or industry; any statements of the plans, strategies, and objectives of Rackspace for future operations or growth, including any plans related to the Rackspace channel program; any statements of expectation or belief regarding future events, and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the items mentioned. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include the possibility that expected growth or success may not materialize because of Rackspace's inability to continue to effectively incentivize and maintain interest in its channel partner program, rapid technological changes that can adversely affect the demand for Rackspace products and services, shifts in customer demand, customers' and potential customers' acceptance of Rackspace products and services, and other risks that are described in Rackspace Hosting's Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2010, filed with the SEC on November 9, 2010. Except as required by law, Rackspace Hosting assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

Rackspace Hosting
Christina Weaver, 210-312-4593
christina.weaver@rackspace.com