With the boom in cloud computing, most businesses have decided to adopt it. The benefits of cloud computing are the reason for this. We came across a report from CloudSecurityAlliance while doing some research on this topic. This report says 98% of organizations are using the cloud. This number was 91% in 2020.
But we found another report of CloudControl which says 70% of enterprise cloud migrations fail. In the rush to migrate applications and services to the cloud, many businesses focus heavily on technology like cloud platforms, tools, and architectural patterns.
Any idea why organizations fail or struggle with reliability, scalability, and cost control; despite using the latest cloud services and frameworks? What truly drives success in the cloud? Is it the architecture itself, or the cloud architect behind it?
This question matters because it shifts the focus from just technical design to the people who shape and implement it. This question ultimately determines if your cloud journey flourishes or falters.
The success of cloud starts with solid architecture. Google says a well-architected framework should look like this:
A cloud infrastructure is well-designed when it:
Scales easily as traffic or workloads grow
Handles failures and outages without breaking
Stays secure and meets compliance standards
Uses automation to deliver faster and reduce mistakes
Keeps costs low without hurting performance
Cloud architects are the people who create detailed blueprints for project success. You can find cloud design principles, tools and frameworks from aws, azure, gcp, or other platforms on this paper (blueprint). These designs guide how applications are built, deployed, and maintained.
But even the most elegant architecture on paper can fail if the wrong assumptions are made or if it doesn’t align with business needs. This is where the architect comes in.
Why the Cloud Architect Behind the Architecture Matters More Than You Think?
A cloud architect is far more than someone who sketches diagrams or chooses tech stacks. They are strategic thinkers. You can also see them as the translators between business goals and technology solutions.
We have enough reasons for you so that you can decide why to hire cloud architect.
Vision and foresight: These professionals can anticipate future challenges. Cloud architects know scalability needs and security requirements before they become emergencies.
Business alignment: Your cloud architect will make sure the architecture supports the company’s goals.
Decision-making: Cloud offers endless options. The cloud architect chooses the right tools and patterns based on context (not hype).
Adaptability: Cloud is constantly evolving. A skilled architect revisits and refines designs regularly instead of “set it and forget it.”
We think these many reasons are enough for your question. Because of these, many companies decide to hire cloud architects specifically to guide their cloud initiatives and avoid costly mistakes. The architect acts as the linchpin holding complex moving parts together.
The Symbiosis: Architecture + Architect + DevOps Engineers
As we discussed above, it is the cloud architect who sets the vision. But what about execution? Well, most of the time execution depends on the DevOps solutions team. DevOps engineers bring automation, continuous integration, and operational discipline to the cloud environment.
Cloud architects and DevOps engineers together form a powerful partnership:
Architects design scalable and secure infrastructure patterns.
When you hire DevOps engineers, they implement these designs with Infrastructure such as Code, CI/CD pipelines, monitoring, and incident response.
Both works cross-functionally with developers and security teams for smooth deployments and reliable operations.
DevOps engineers have expertise in both software and operations. That is the reason why many organizations choose to hire DevOps engineers early in their cloud journey to translate architectural goals into reality. Cloud success needs teamwork and without it even solid architecture designs can fail.
When to Invest in the Right Talent?
Businesses must get the right people onboard at the right time. This is the only solution to save months of painful rework, outages, and cost overruns.
Not every company needs to hire a full-time cloud architect or a large DevOps team from day one. But you should know when to bring in these experts and this is where help you:
Hire a cloud architect if you’re planning a major migration, redesigning systems for scale, or dealing with complex compliance needs.
Hire DevOps engineers when deployment frequency slows down, incident response becomes reactive, or you need more automation.
If you are a startup or have small teams, look for versatile engineers who can cover multiple roles but keep an eye on scaling your team as complexity grows.
Final Thoughts
Cloud success is not simply a matter of picking the right architecture or cloud provider. It’s about the people who build, maintain, and evolve that architecture day-to-day.
A brilliant design alone won’t carry your cloud journey forward. It takes experienced architects to envision and plan effectively. And talented DevOps engineers are also equally important to bring that vision to life.
If you’re wondering why your cloud efforts aren’t delivering expected results, ask yourself:
Do I have the right architecture?
More importantly, do I have the right architect?
Invest in your cloud solutions team as much as your cloud technology, and you’ll get the true potential of the cloud.
