If your business is moving to the cloud or scaling within it, you’re probably realizing that the cloud isn’t just about infrastructure anymore. It’s about building a team that can architect, automate, and optimize every piece of your digital ecosystem. And that’s where cloud-native talent comes in. Whether you’re launching a new SaaS platform or modernizing legacy systems, the need to hire cloud engineers who can navigate today’s dynamic environments is more crucial than ever.
But there’s a common misconception that hiring a few cloud-certified individuals is enough. The truth is, building a successful cloud-native team often requires a blend of both cloud engineers and DevOps engineers, each with distinct roles, mindsets, and toolkits.
Let’s break down what each role brings to the table, how they work together, and what to look for when building your dream team.
Why Go Cloud-Native in the First Place?
Cloud-native development means designing systems from the ground up for the cloud; think microservices, containerization, CI/CD pipelines, and automation. It offers:
- Greater scalability and flexibility
- Faster deployment and iteration cycles
- Reduced infrastructure costs
- Built-in resilience and high availability
But to fully leverage these advantages, you need engineers who understand the nuances of cloud architecture and can implement DevOps best practices to keep things running smoothly.
What is Cloud Engineers?
Cloud engineers are the backbone of your cloud-native environment. They focus on designing, implementing, and managing cloud infrastructure—often across providers like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.
Core Responsibilities:
- Designing cloud architecture that scales and performs efficiently
- Implementing IaaS and PaaS services
- Managing virtual networks, storage, and databases
- Ensuring security and compliance across cloud environments
Key Skills to Look For:
- Experience with major cloud platforms (AWs, GCP, Azure)
- Knowledge of IaC (Infrastructure as Code) tools like Terraform or AWS CloudFormation
- Familiarity with containerization technologies like Docker and Kubernetes
- Understanding of cloud security principles and monitoring tools.
When you hire cloud engineers, you’re essentially hiring people who can build and maintain the digital foundation of your application in the cloud. They’re system thinkers, architects, and builders rolled into one.
What is DevOps Engineers?
If cloud engineers set up the infrastructure, DevOps engineers make sure it runs like a well-oiled machine. Their focus is on automation, continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD), and collaboration between development and operations teams.
Core Responsibilities:
- Automating build, test, and deployment pipelines
- Monitoring and logging application performance
- Managing release cycles and rollback strategies
- Facilitating communication between development and operations team
Key Skills to Look For:
- Expertise in CI/CD tools like Jenkins, GitLab CI, or GitHub Actions.
- Scripting knowledge (Bash, Python, etc.)
- Proficiency with configuration management tools (Ansible, Puppet, Chef)
- Experience with container orchestration and release automation
DevOps engineers live at the intersection of software engineering and IT operations. They streamline workflows, reduce bottlenecks, and make sure new features get into production faster and with fewer hiccups.
How Do They Work Together in a Cloud-Native Team?
Building a high-performing cloud-native team means creating synergy between cloud and DevOps engineers. A few examples of how they collaborate:
- A cloud engineer provisions scalable Kubernetes clusters; a DevOps engineer sets up automated deployment pipelines to deploy to them.
- Cloud engineers implement secure cloud storage; DevOps engineers configure data backup and restoration scripts.
- Together, they ensure infrastructure and applications are monitored, resilient, and secure.
When both roles are aligned, you get infrastructure that not only works but also evolves and improves continuously.
What to Ask Before You Hire?
Before you begin the hiring process, ask yourself:
- What’s our current cloud maturity level?
- Are we building from scratch or modernizing existing systems?
- Do we need multi-cloud or hybrid cloud capabilities?
- Do we have DevOps pipelines already, or are we starting from zero?
Your answers will help you decide whether you need more cloud expertise, more DevOps power, or a healthy balance of both.
Conclusion
Building a cloud-native team isn’t optional, it’s essential. Whether you’re launching cloud-native applications, adopting containerized services, or simply looking to optimize your cloud investments, having the right people on board makes all the difference. It starts when you hire cloud engineers who can architect modern, scalable infrastructure. But to truly unlock agility and performance, you also need to hire DevOps engineers who can automate, integrate, and accelerate every step of your development lifecycle.
Together, they form a powerhouse team that keeps your systems lean, your deployments fast, and your innovations rolling. Ready to build yours?
