Rackspace Managed Hosting, one of the largest providers of managed dedicated servers in the world, has been named by IDG Computerworld as one of the best places to work for IT professionals in the hosting industry. Rackspace has long been building a name as a reliable and secure host with support that is simply unmatched, leaving behind a trail of glowing reviews from customers and employees alike.

This latest recognition comes as Computerworld released their 16th annual “Best Places to Work in IT” survey, a well-respected round-up of information technology firms that offer the best in rate of pay, work environment, benefits and opportunities. The accolades include an overview of the company’s so-called Open Book and Town Hall meetings, encouraging excellent communication between supervisors and “Rackers”, the nickname given to Rackspace employees.

Out-of-work IT professionals take note: Rackspace is obviously a good place to lug the briefcase and coffee each morning. But is it as good a place to hang your hosting hat, so to speak? While there is no doubt that Rackspace offers well-planned packages and top-notch managed support services, their prices remain well above the industry norm and reports of per-hour billing for some support requests add to that issue. Corporate accounts and self-owned web businesses are drawn to the promise of 0% downtime and fully-managed support services like moths to a flame but hobbyists and part-time bloggers need not apply if money is an issue – and isn’t it always?

As the world wide web expands and more people leap into the world of webmastering, many casual hostees are finding that they have become knowledgeable enough to handle the general tasks that maintaining a single dedicated server requires. For those still not comfortable enough to go it alone many third-party managed service firms offer pricing far lower then Rackspace’s – and without ever worrying about being billed extra for support not covered by your monthly fee.

Positive news and glowing reviews follow Rackspace for a reason and this recognition as a high-end employer should serve as a well-lit beacon for industry ITers looking for work. Webmasters in need of hosting, however, should give the report the weight it deserves from that perspective; Rackspace is one of the better dedicated server hosts online today but don’t let your proverbial eyes outsize your belly when shopping for your needs!