In the past, one might not have associated Rackspace with storage, but that has changed in recent years with its partnership with EMC and others in the storage industry. At EMC World 2014, The CUBE hosts Dave Vellante and Stu Miniman sat down with Chris Wetzel, Rackspace’s Director of Enterprise Storage, to talk about the company’s innovations in the storage arena.

Over the past couple of years, the role of storage has become more significant for Rackspace customers. Many have adopted a hybrid cloud model, and Rackspace has become dedicated to helping its customers solve problems in unique ways. Rather than simply applying one-size-fits-all solutions, the people at Rackspace help customers determine what their needs are and build upon that knowledge. For example, they do not force convergence onto customers but rather use it when it fits and offer alternatives when it does not.

When asked about Rackspace’s partnerships with EMC and Brocade, Wetzel explained how they have been able to implement changes to their systems so seamlessly that customers may not even notice them, avoiding downtime and growing pains associated with change. EMC and Brocade understand scalability well and are able to help Rackspace approach situations with tens of devices differently than situations involving thousands.

As IT continues to evolve and people adapt, Rackspace helps customers move at their own pace, helping them determine what the next step in their journey will be. For more of Wetzel’s insights, you can watch the full interview right here.