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Cloudera Distribution for Hadoop vs IBM Spectrum Computing comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Cloudera Distribution for H...
Ranking in Hadoop
2nd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
50
Ranking in other categories
NoSQL Databases (8th)
IBM Spectrum Computing
Ranking in Hadoop
6th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
5.9
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
Cloud Management (26th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Hadoop category, the mindshare of Cloudera Distribution for Hadoop is 24.2%, up from 24.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Spectrum Computing is 1.6%, down from 2.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Hadoop
 

Featured Reviews

Rok Dolinsek - PeerSpot reviewer
Enables on-premise implementation with powerful data processing capabilities
This is the only solution that is possible to install on-premise. Cloudera provides a hybrid solution that combines compute on cloud or on-premises. It includes all machine learning algorithms in the Spark machine learning library. All functionalities needed for a big data platform and ETL are on the platform, eliminating the need for other tools. It is scalable, ready for vertical scaling, and very powerful, offering numerous functionalities and configurations for generative AI.
OmarIsmail1 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Technical Specialist appreciates intelligent workload management, strong support, and scalability
The best features of IBM Spectrum Computing are common across many of their storage products. The software is solid, meaning that the code is stable. They take business seriously, which is what IBM stands for - International Business Machines. They always maintain a business-oriented approach in their software development. It's not simply clicking through interfaces; in IBM software, they consider their actions, process flows, and workflows around business processes. It requires understanding IBM and their methodology, as the software operates accordingly. I have utilized IBM Spectrum Computing's intelligent workload management feature. We use Insights, which is connected to the cloud. This provides AI capabilities for analyzing the configuration, offering smart recommendations on new code, warning about bugs in current code, and suggesting configuration improvements through its advisor tool. The predictive analytics feature in IBM Spectrum Computing enables optimal software performance through Insights. However, being a storage administrator requires foundational knowledge and understanding beyond these tools. For troubleshooting, it's efficient in spotting bottlenecks, but understanding the terms and metrics is essential as it provides answers that need interpretation.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Cloudera, as a whole, is designed to provide organizations with solutions for big data."
"It is helpful to gather and process data."
"We also really like the Cloudera community. You can have any question and will have your answer within a few hours."
"The tool's most interesting features are the distributed file system and unstructured data processing capability. Because we have a lot of unstructured data, like XML and social media logs, these features make it more valuable than the usual data warehousing solutions."
"The tool can be deployed using different container technologies, which makes it very scalable."
"The search function is the most valuable aspect of the solution."
"The most valuable feature is Impala, the querying engine, which is very fast."
"The most valuable feature is Kubernetes."
"Easy to operate and use."
"The comparison was challenging, but the IBM Spectrum Scale offered a balanced solution. Our engineers rated itsanalytics capabilities equally high as Pure Storage. For workload management, Spectrum Computing provided effective solutions that met our needs. Workload management is part of a complete solution that uses different tools. There were the cloud and HPC parts; within HPC, there were parts like liquid cooling, simple computing, storage, and orchestration. The orchestration team handled the workload management."
"Spectrum Computing's best features are its speed, robustness, and data processing and analysis."
"I have utilized IBM Spectrum Computing's intelligent workload management feature through Insights, which is connected to the cloud."
"IBM's ability to cluster compute resources is impressive, with built-in support for scenarios like VR and active-active configurations,"
"The best features of IBM Spectrum Computing are common across many of their storage products."
"We are satisfied with the technical support, we have no issues."
"This solution is working for both VTL and tape."
 

Cons

"Currently, we are using many other tools such as Spark and Blade Job to improve the performance."
"They should focus on upgrading their technical capabilities in the market."
"This is a very expensive solution."
"The procedure for operations could be simplified."
"The competitors provide better functionalities."
"It is quite complicated to configure and install. Integrating the platform into an information system is always a challenge, especially when starting with on-premise implementation."
"There is a maximum of a one-gigabyte block size, which is an area of storage that can be improved upon."
"While the deployed product is generally functional, there are instances where it presents difficulties."
"Lack of sufficient documentation, particularly in Spanish."
"The deduplication software isn't quite up to speed with the market."
"We'd like to see some AI model training for machine learning."
"The deduplication software isn't quite up to speed with the market. While IBM has excellent compression technology, specifically on their FlashCore modules, they lag behind competitors such as NetApp in deduplication capabilities."
"We have not been able to use deduplication."
"This solution is no longer managing tapes correctly."
"Spectrum Computing is lagging behind other products, most likely because it hasn't been shifted to the cloud."
"In Pakistan, IBM's disadvantage is the lack of OEM support and presence."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is an expensive product."
"The price is very high. The solution is expensive."
"Cloudera requires a license to use."
"I wouldn't recommend CDH to others because of its high cost."
"I haven't bought a license for this solution. I'm only using the Apache license version."
"When comparing with Oracle Sybase and SQL, it's cheaper. It's not expensive."
"I believe we pay for a three-year license."
"The product’s price depends from project to project."
"Spectrum Computing is one of the most expensive products on the market."
"This solution is expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
23%
Educational Organization
15%
Computer Software Company
14%
Energy/Utilities Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
35%
Computer Software Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Transportation Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cloudera Distribution for Hadoop?
The tool can be deployed using different container technologies, which makes it very scalable.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cloudera Distribution for Hadoop?
The price for Cloudera is average, yet it is very good compared to other solutions. It can be deployed on-premises, unlike competitors' cloud-only solutions.
What needs improvement with Cloudera Distribution for Hadoop?
It is quite complicated to configure and install. Integrating the platform into an information system is always a challenge, especially when starting with on-premise implementation. Integrating wit...
What needs improvement with IBM Spectrum Computing?
IBM's sales and support structure can be challenging. To work on an IBM deal, you often need to involve multiple specialists, each knowledgeable about only part of the product, rather than having a...
What is your primary use case for IBM Spectrum Computing?
It is big on resilience and security. Their focus is on providing robust and secure solutions. Due to their high-end server models, IBM products are often more expensive than competitors. While IBM...
 

Also Known As

No data available
IBM Platform Computing
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

37signals, Adconion,adgooroo, Aggregate Knowledge, AMD, Apollo Group, Blackberry, Box, BT, CSC
London South Bank University, Transvalor, Infiniti Red Bull Racing, Genomic
Find out what your peers are saying about Cloudera Distribution for Hadoop vs. IBM Spectrum Computing and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
860,592 professionals have used our research since 2012.