DevOps vs. Cloud Engineering: Which is the Right Career Option for You?

According to Gartner’s Research Vice President Sid Nag, “Cloud is the powerhouse that drives today’s digital organizations.”

This can also be attested in their latest report, which forecasts public cloud spending to grow by 20.4% in 2022, to reach a total of USD 494.7 billion. Further, in 2023, it is expected to reach nearly USD 600 billion.

With the rise in cloud adoption and the demand for cloud-native capabilities, cloud developers will be in huge demand now and in the future.

However, cloud development is not a stand-alone arena; there are several well-integrated niches that developers need to be aware of. The major one is understanding whether to be a DevOps Engineer or a Cloud Engineer. 

Both Cloud and DevOps engineering have promising opportunities, with the average Cloud Engineer salary being ₹9,94,741. Similarly, a DevOps Engineer earns an average of ₹9,61,454. 

Although many non-technical folks tend to combine DevOps and Cloud, they’re not the same, and this makes it all the harder for career-minded developers to zero in on one particular aspect. 

If you are caught in a similar conundrum, here is a quick comparison between DevOps Vs. Cloud Computing, and how you can select the right opportunity for your career.

What is DevOps Engineering?

DevOps is a combination of two words: Development and Operations. DevOps engineers work closely with developers to automate processes and ensure that software is being developed correctly.

They are certified cloud professionals who work with operations teams to ensure that the servers run smoothly and efficiently.

Their typical day-to-day activities include:

• Deployment- The act of installing software onto a server. It is often done via a script or automated tool.
• Configuration Management – The practice of tracking changes in software configuration and ensuring that those changes are applied consistently across a team.
• Continuous Integration – A software engineering practice where developers integrate their work frequently, whether manually or automatically, and run tests after each change.
• Release Engineering –  The process of managing releases of software products.
• Software Testing – The process of evaluating the quality of a piece of software before its release.
• Code Review – The process of reviewing code written by others to ensure correctness and adherence to coding standards.
• Documentation- The process of writing instructions about how to use a system.

Since DevOps Engineers focus on the conceptualization, development, and release of cloud-native applications, they need to have a strong understanding of the software product lifecycle, automation tools, cloud architecture and frameworks, security methodologies, and a wide array of coding languages.

Although candidates holding DevOps certifications and DevOps online training are always preferred, having a degree in computer science, software engineering, or a similar domain is also a big plus! 

Cloud Engineering is the practice of designing, building, operating, maintaining, and managing IT infrastructure using cloud computing technologies.

Cloud Engineering is a subset of DevOps Engineering that focuses on the design, implementation, operation, management, and maintenance of cloud-based applications and services.

The term was coined by David Linthicum, who wrote about his experiences working at Amazon Web Services (AWS) in his book, “Cloud Computing.” He defines cloud engineering as “the art and science of designing, implementing, operating, and maintaining cloud-based solutions.”

Cloud engineers work closely with developers, product managers, and operations teams to design, build, test, deploy, maintain, monitor, and support software solutions.

They may specialize in any aspect of cloud computing, including infrastructure (e.g., virtualization), platform (e.g., containers), application (e.g., databases), or developer tools (e.g., continuous integration). The responsibilities of a cloud engineer include:

• Designing, developing, and implementing cloud-based solutions
• Working with customers to understand their requirements
• Collaborating with project team members to develop technical specifications
• Analyzing business processes and recommending improvements
• Developing and documenting best practices
• Providing training and mentoring to others
• Maintaining existing systems
• Supporting ongoing projects
• Monitoring system performance and identifying problems
• Identifying opportunities for improvement
•  Improving efficiency and reducing costs

To become a cloud engineer, you will need to meet some basic qualification criteria like:

• Holding a computer science or computer engineering degree 
• Having at least 3 years of experience in cloud computing or advanced knowledge of CI/CD concepts and SysOps
• Familiarity with troubleshooting and security in cloud architecture
• Certification in a Cloud engineering course to prove their credentials in the domain

Comparison: DevOps Vs. Cloud Engineer

Here is a quick comparison of what DevOps Vs. Cloud Engineers focus on:

DevOps Vs. Cloud Engineering: Which is the right option for you?

To help you understand which stream is the right fit for you, you will need to understand the processes, tools, and methodologies used in DevOps and Cloud Engineering.

While both these fields have a lot of overlaps, there are small differences that can go a long way in defining your career path. 

As a DevOps Engineer, you will need to do the following:

• Know how to code and implement codes for the Cloud application. Since the application and designed and built by DevOps Engineers, they need to know languages like JavaScript, Node.js, Python, C, Kotiln, Go, and others. 
• Get familiar with the common tech stacks, and understand development frameworks like Agile, Software Development Life Cycle, Infrastructure as a Code (IaC), and others.
• Get a DevOps certification. There are several DevOps courses and DevOps online training that you can undertake to help you stand out.

Similarly, Cloud Engineers also need deep expertise, specifically in Cloud architecture and implementation. To be a Cloud Engineer, you should:

• Be familiar with Cloud concepts, although it is okay not to have deep knowledge in coding.
• Take a deep dive into Data Security and Cloud architecture since security is the key aspect that you will be working on.
• Be ready to implement scalability and elastic infrastructure while defining policies and scripts that will be used with the organization or the platform.
• Get a Cloud Certification and complete Cloud Engineering courses that will help you gain knowledge in CI/CD, data storage and operations, System Thinking, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, Azure, and other Cloud platforms.

Whether it is a DevOps vs. cloud engineer career option that you are contemplating, Cloud Engineering courses can offer a greater perspective on both these segments. Both have their own importance in any organization, and as the interest in the cloud only increases, there are plenty of opportunities in both areas. 

The best DevOps course and Cloud training can equip you with the skills needed to succeed in this career and develop or implement a robust and secure cloud infrastructure for an organization.

Hero Vired’s DevOps & Cloud Engineering program offers DevOps training online and Cloud course, enabling learners to explore both techniques. The program is offered in partnership with edX and from AWS.

This is one of the rare Cloud Computing courses that offer not just a DevOps Certification but also Cloud Training,  enabling you to build DevOps and Cloud solutions to automate the code assembly, testing, and deployment using AWS.