AWS vs. Google Cloud vs. Cloudera Comparative Analysis for Cloud Migration

October 15, 2021

AWS vs. Google Cloud vs. Cloudera - Which One's Right for Your Cloud Migration?

Moving your business to the cloud is now an inevitable task. You hear it everywhere – cloud migration is vital to stay competitive, optimize operations, and cut costs. However, choosing the right cloud platform to move your data and apps can be overwhelming if you're not tech-savvy. Should you go for the industry leader AWS, its budding competitor Google Cloud or the big data expert Cloudera?

As the Flare Compare team, we did our research and compared these three cloud platforms to help you make an informed decision depending on your business requirements. Let's dive in!

Reliability

One of the most important factors to consider when choosing a cloud platform is reliability. You need a platform that guarantees maximum uptime and minimal disruption.

According to the Synergy Research Group, AWS has a 32% share of the cloud infrastructure market, with Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure following behind. While AWS is the most popular and innovative, Google Cloud is known for its customizable solutions and ease of use. Cloudera focuses on big data processing and storage.

However, AWS had a higher number of outages compared to Google Cloud in 2020. Google Cloud had 20 outages that affected main services throughout this period, while AWS suffered a total of 108 outages. Cloudera, on the other hand, guarantees 99.999% uptime.

Based on reliability, Cloudera takes the win. If your business requires stable services that preserve your data, Cloudera is your go-to cloud platform.

Pricing

When choosing a cloud platform, pricing is a crucial factor. The right cloud provider will help you reduce operational costs and maximize profits.

AWS, as an industry leader, offers flexible pricing with both pay-as-you-go and reserved instances. However, in the long run, AWS can be costly, especially if you're not careful about monitoring usage.

Google Cloud's pricing model is more transparent and offers discounts based on usage percentages. They also have specific pricing tools that alert customers when they're about to exceed their budget. Cloudera offers competitive and customized pricing, especially for enterprise businesses.

Numerically evaluating pricing can be hard since it depends on many variables, but all three offer free trials or flexible tiered services depending on usage. So, based on our reserach, pricing varies depending on the customer's unique requirements, making it a tie.

Scalability

Scalability is key when you're a growing business, and choosing the right cloud platform will help you scale quickly.

Both AWS and Google Cloud offer good scalability options. AWS offers a tool called CloudFormation that sets up an environment based on the customers' specifications, from simple apps to complex architectures. Google Cloud offers Autoscaling that automatically creates more instances as traffic increases or reduces them during periods of inactivity.

Cloudera's scalability comes from its big data tools. It supports large data processing and storage, building systems with maximum performance and scalability.

Based on scalability, AWS and Google Cloud offer better options for scalability, with Google Cloud slightly edging out AWS.

Security

Security is a critical aspect of cloud migration. You need a cloud platform with all the necessary security protocols in place to protect sensitive data and prevent data breaches.

AWS offers near unparalleled security features, with its Amazon VPC solution that guarantees complete data privacy. It also has many third-party security tools that overlay the customer's data, providing an extra layer of protection. Google Cloud offers encryption, DDoS protection, and firewall security. Cloudera offers advanced threat detection and proactive threat management.

In terms of security, AWS stands out. Its strict security policies and layers of protection make it a solid choice.

Conclusion

Choosing the right cloud platform is dependent on your business needs. AWS, Google Cloud, and Cloudera all have pros and cons, but they all cater to different customers with specific demands.

In summary, based on our research, Cloudera offers better reliability, AWS provides very good security, AWS and Google Cloud provide the best pricing options, with Google Cloud offering slightly better scalability.

At the end of the day, it's best to research and weigh the options based on your business requirements to make an informed decision.