ClearScale
AWS-exclusive cloud consulting and managed services firm founded in 2011 in San Francisco. AWS Premier Tier Services Partner with 12+ AWS Competencies and 1,000+ completed projects. Strongest on large-scale migration, ML/AI, data engineering, and DevOps modernization for SMBs and mid-market. AWS-only scope is a genuine depth trade-off — not a fit for multi-cloud strategies.
Summary
ClearScale is a AWS Premier Partner firm (~100–175 employees; 100+ AWS-certified technical staff) focused on Migration and DevOps across AWS, with delivery experience in SaaS & ISVs and Media & Entertainment.
Last reviewed: 2026-05-23 · Cloud Intel — independent, no paid placement
ClearScale Analysis
✓ Strengths
- • 12+ AWS Competencies covering Migration, DevOps, ML, Data & Analytics, Healthcare, IoT, SaaS, Microsoft Workloads, Nonprofit, Education, SMB, GenAI — among the broadest competency footprints for a firm this size
- • 1,000+ completed AWS projects since 2011; demonstrated ability to execute large-scale migration under pressure (Acoustic: 6,300 servers, 12 data centers, 10 months)
- • ML/AI practice with verifiable case studies — PBS recommendation engine, candidate scoring system; strong MLOps capability
- • Tiered managed services (Basic/Advanced/Premier) with 24x7x365 monitoring and dedicated Service Delivery Manager — rare among boutique AWS specialists
- • AWS funding expertise: actively navigates AWS MAP and funding programs to offset client project costs
- • 15 engineers per 1 sales position (self-reported) — engineering-led culture, not sales-first
⚠ Considerations
- • AWS only — no Azure or GCP capability; not a fit for organizations with multi-cloud requirements or evaluating cloud platforms
- • Small firm (~100–175 employees) limits concurrent capacity; very large enterprise engagements may strain resourcing
- • No published pricing; boutique rates likely; pricing clarity requires a scoping call
- • Leadership transition: CEO Matthew Stoyka (ex-Resonance Equity Partners PE background) joined recently — account continuity worth verifying for long-running engagements
- • Headcount has reportedly declined ~20% YoY per third-party data aggregators (Growjo); verify current bench depth before committing large programs
Best Fit For
- ✓ SMBs and mid-market companies executing a first serious AWS migration or modernization
- ✓ Organizations needing ML/AI or data engineering on AWS — recommendation engines, MLOps, data lakes, analytics pipelines
- ✓ SaaS vendors modernizing to cloud-native architectures (containers, serverless, microservices) on AWS
- ✓ Nonprofits, healthcare organizations, and education institutions seeking an AWS partner with domain-specific competencies
- ✓ Companies wanting a managed services wrapper after a migration project without switching firms
ClearScale Cloud Projects
Acoustic — 6,300 Server Migration from 12 Data Centers to AWS (10 Months)
Global marketing tech company needed to escape legacy hosting infrastructure and modernize its SaaS platform. ClearScale executed a phased migration of 6,300 servers and 8 full-stack applications from 12 global data centers in 10 months. Included containerization, microservices modernization, custom data lake on S3/Glue/Athena/EMR/Redshift, and CI/CD pipelines via Terraform IaC.
- → 6,300 servers and 8 SaaS apps migrated in 10 months — on time despite complexity other partners declined
- → Avoided multi-million-dollar legacy hosting renewal
- → Enabled new SaaS revenue models (trial subscriptions, pay-per-use billing)
- → Hardened security and improved deployment agility post-migration
PBS — ML-Powered Smart Recommendation Engine on Amazon Personalize
Public Broadcasting Service (100M+ TV viewers) wanted a personalized content recommendation engine without years-long development. ClearScale built an MLOps platform on Amazon Personalize with four ML models (popularity, item relationships, interaction history, personalized ranking), data pipelines from PBS Media Manager and Google Analytics, and a demo UI for viewer testing.
- → Precision at 10 metric of 0.0706 — vs. industry average of ~0.03 for comparable recommender systems
- → Saved thousands of engineering hours vs. build-from-scratch approach
- → Deployed in months rather than years
- → Four production ML models continuously retrained with automated model monitoring
Willamette Dental Group — DevOps Automation and Serverless Monitoring on AWS
Oregon-based dental provider migrating from on-premises data centers needed a cloud DevOps capability. AWS recommended ClearScale based on its Healthcare and DevOps competencies. ClearScale implemented Amazon CloudWatch monitoring (replacing legacy SolarWinds), Amazon EventBridge, and AWS Lambda-based workflow automation.
- → Projected monitoring costs reduced by 50% vs. third-party monitoring alternative
- → 40 hours per week of engineering time freed over the course of the engagement
- → Eliminated need for separate SolarWinds-class monitoring purchase
ClearScale Pricing Indication
Pricing varies based on project complexity, duration, and specific requirements. Contact the partner for a detailed quote.
Questions to Ask ClearScale
Before engaging with ClearScale, here are key questions to help you evaluate fit:
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AWS-Only Scope: " Our roadmap includes evaluating Azure for some workloads. How do you advise clients navigating AWS-first vs. multi-cloud decisions, and what happens if we eventually need Azure or GCP support?"
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Team Continuity: " Given recent leadership changes, who specifically will be leading our engagement — named architect and delivery lead — and what is their current utilization across other accounts?"
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Bench Depth: " For a program of our size and timeline, how many senior engineers are available and not already committed elsewhere? Can you show us bench capacity before we sign?"
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Managed Services Tiers: " Walk us through the difference between your Basic, Advanced, and Premier MSP tiers in terms of SLAs, supplemental hours, and what's covered versus extra-billed. What does a typical monthly retainer look like?"
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AWS Funding: " You mention expertise in AWS funding programs — what MAP credits or co-investment has your average SMB migration client received, and can you help us pre-qualify before scoping begins?"
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Knowledge Transfer: " How do you ensure our internal team can operate and evolve the environment you build? What does your formal handoff or runbook process look like, and how have prior clients rated that transition?"
Red flags to watch for:
- ⚠ Named delivery team is all junior engineers — ClearScale's value proposition is engineering depth; push for senior architect involvement
- ⚠ Vague scope on migration phases with no risk-staging plan — their Acoustic engagement succeeded because of a phased approach; generic lift-and-shift proposals are a mismatch
- ⚠ Managed services proposal without itemized SLA tiers and supplemental hours limits — 'premier' language without specifics
- ⚠ No mention of AWS funding program eligibility in the proposal — if they're not proactively surfacing MAP credits, question whether their funding expertise claim is real
- ⚠ Inability to name the lead architect or show current bench availability before signing
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Related Research
ClearScale — frequently asked questions
Is ClearScale a good cloud consulting firm?
ClearScale is a AWS Premier Partner firm specializing in Migration, DevOps, Data & Analytics across AWS, with delivery experience in SaaS & ISVs and Media & Entertainment. Cloud Intel evaluates firms on partner tier, real case studies, and pricing transparency — not paid placement.
How much does ClearScale cost?
ClearScale operates in the Project-based; no published rates. Managed services offered in tiered packages (Basic, Advanced, Premier). AWS funding expertise cited as cost offset mechanism. pricing range. Final cost depends on project scope, duration, and complexity — contact them directly for a tailored quote.
What is ClearScale best known for?
ClearScale specializes in Migration, DevOps, Data & Analytics with core delivery across AWS. Additional competencies include Machine Learning, SaaS, Healthcare, IoT, Microsoft Workloads, Nonprofit, Education, SMB, Advertising & Marketing Technology, Generative AI.
Which industries does ClearScale serve?
ClearScale primarily serves clients in SaaS & ISVs, Media & Entertainment, Healthcare, Nonprofit, Manufacturing, Retail, Energy, Education, Advertising & Marketing Technology. Buyers in these verticals are typically well-matched to their delivery experience and existing case-study base.
Who should consider ClearScale?
ClearScale is a strong fit for: SMBs and mid-market companies executing a first serious AWS migration or modernization; Organizations needing ML/AI or data engineering on AWS — recommendation engines, MLOps, data lakes, analytics pipelines; SaaS vendors modernizing to cloud-native architectures (containers, serverless, microservices) on AWS.
Key Facts
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, CA (50 California Street, Suite 1500)
- Founded
- 2011
- Team Size
- ~100–175 employees; 100+ AWS-certified technical staff
- Industries
- SaaS & ISVs, Media & Entertainment, Healthcare, Nonprofit, Manufacturing, Retail, Energy, Education, Advertising & Marketing Technology
- Data Verified
- May 22, 2026
- Data Version
- Q2-2026
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