Percona Kubernetes Operators vs. Red Hat OpenShift on IBM Cloud

Production ready, robust DB solution built for Kubernetes envs, we was able, for the first time, to ship production db workloads inside k8s. Be sure to check differences with "traditional" MySQL and other clustering solutions. Also be sure to match it with proper k8s storage solutions.

RedHat OpenShift is not only suited for IBM Cloud but can run in ANY cloud. We installed in Azure Cloud, for example. It can also run on Linux servers or a Power 9 machine. It is built for multi-cloud or on-prem environments. IBM support provides such excellent guidance in the installation and configuration that no other product on the market can beat it.

Incentivized

• Easy and fast deployment.
• A reliable, fully automated, high-available db lifecycle management solution.
• Exaustive documentation.
• Production ready.

• Multiclick provisioning of resources makes it super easy to manage pods and deployments. We don't have to maintain code for the same
• In built security features and customizability ensures that organization wide standards are integrated well into the containers
• Automated backups, scale ups and fail recovery makes sure of minimal down time

Incentivized

• Some differences compared to "traditional" MySQL solution.
• Had some hard times trying to use it combined with pre-existing techs like WordPress, Magento, etc.
• The specific k8s environment features can have an impact on it, like the storage solutions offered by the cloud vendor.

• I wish it had better compatibility with docker file syntax. We had issues when it couldn't build standard docker files
• Wish it had better documentation
• Wish they offered fully supported client libraries for the Openshift API rather than dumping it on a 3rd party

Incentivized

Easy and fast deployment. A reliable, fully automated, high-available db lifecycle management solution. It requires a bit of learning time for people new to operators ecosystem.

Well documented, there was no need to contact support.

I think response time for IBM Cloud support should be improved.

Incentivized

For a long time we struggled finding a viable solution to migrate our existing db workloads inside Kubernetes. Before "operators era" proper db workloads required manual management, of course that easily raised administrative overhead. Then the future started to be brighter with the introduction of operators and the "official" Oracle's MySQL Operator, then Presslab's one, finally Percona's operator. Compared to other operators, the last one allowed us to ship production db workloads inside k8s.

We evaluated a number of potential solutions and ultimately chose Red Hat OpenShift because it was compatible with our existing technology. Time and costs savings have been realized throughout the company since we implemented Red Hat OpenShift, and the IT department has been freed up to focus on activities that are more valuable.

Incentivized

• It allowed us to use k8s on our entire infrastructure.
• Decreased administrative overhead around our db services.
• As it is an open source technology, it cut down our db pricings.

• Our customer satisfaction and NPS score has had positive outcomes based on new architecture
• We are focused on business outcomes vs running the service and maintenance
• OpenShift on IBM Cloud has had a direct, positive impact on TCO, ROI, and payback period
• Our staff is more focused on higher-level business activities, i.e. acquiring & customer retention

Incentivized