DevOps Architect vs. engineer: What's the difference?

Introduction

In the latest times, we see many open positions available for professionals in DevOps technology. As there is an enriched improvement in the technologies, the career aspirants must focus on developing the knowledge and skills required to be a professional. Let's discuss something new and important. Most individuals are confused about the job roles of DevOps Engineer and DevOps Architect. Are you aware of the roles and responsibilities of an architect and an engineer in DevOps? Any idea on what is the difference between them?

Well, Not to worry. In this blog, we help you clear the confusion between the job roles. You will understand the key areas to focus on as an engineer and architect. With this, you will also learn and identify the career path that will suit your skills and benefit you. Let's get into the main terminologies first. 

DevOps Architect

In technical terms, a DevOps Architect is an individual who derives a systematic solution considering the organizational standards and capable of meeting the expectations. A DevOps Architect is keenly involved in developing a solution that is measured based on a large system environment and selecting the right framework for dealing with the problems. He should be capable of performing all the functionalities and handling the issues efficiently without affecting the work environment and business by implementing the procedures and strategies that make up the best.

DevOps Engineer

A DevOps Engineer is a person who is deeply involved in introducing the tools and procedures, processes, and methodologies that are required during software development, between different phases, from the Coding to the deployment level and releases or updates. He is the one who is responsible for eliminating the gap between the development and the IT teams. They ensure to close all the difficulties and gaps by taking necessary actions to make the software reliable.

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Roles and responsibilities of a DevOps Architect

1. A DevOps Architect should cope up and jump into any ongoing issues, providing a helping hand to the team members and helping resolve the issue. He should be in contact with all the teams, have an idea of the ongoing projects, and be approachable to the teams irrespective of the time.
2. A DevOps Architect is also responsible for monitoring all the technical operations during every phase of the software development lifecycle. He should be capable of reviewing the errors, identifying the gaps, and resolving the issues as and when required. For effective planning, log maintenance records will be helpful.
3. A DevOps Architect is involved in the automation process and should ensure that every aspect is automated, running as per the requirements. He should ensure that all the processes like testing, continuous monitoring, and deployment are running smoothly and seamlessly along with automation.
A DevOps Architect is also involved in integrating the processes, one of the important responsibilities to be taken care of. All the phases like testing, development, and deployment must be integrated to run the application smoothly.
In simple terms, he is the designer of the complete plan and gets things to work by collaborating with the teams.

Roles and responsibilities of DevOps Engineer

1. As there is a high chance of updates or changes during the software development lifecycle, there is no expectation that the code has to be re-written from the beginning. It is important that the right choice of Coding has to be made so that the integration goes successful.
2. A DevOps Engineer handles the IT infrastructure and should work as per the business requirements, deploy the code in a multi-tenant environment, and be aware of the tools and technologies required for the development.
3. A DevOps Engineer is responsible for collaborating and associating with the teams to resolve the challenges that arise and ensure that the software is capable of running on different operating systems and versions.

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Skills required for DevOps Architect

• Proper communication skills are required to collaborate with different teams. A constant engagement should exist among the teams.
• Leadership skills are required to ensure that the employees from different teams work effectively. A DevOps architect should be capable of leading the teams.
• Should have the knowledge and problem-solving skills to solve issues, like testing errors, unexpected errors, etc.
• Should know DevOps tools and utilize the tools during every step of the software development life cycle. Some tools are Maven, Kubernetes, Selenium, GitHub, GitLab, Jenkins, etc.
• Expertise on cloud platforms is also an added advantage like Azure, AWS, GCP, etc.

Skills required by DevOps Engineer

1. A DevOps Engineer should be a good system admin, capable of working with servers and making them work right.
2. Should have hands-on experience in storage and network-based concepts.
3. Basic Coding knowledge in different programming languages is required.
4. Should be well versed in the virtualization concepts.

Pay Scale

A DevOps Engineer earns an average annual salary of 7 LPA, with salaries ranging from 5-12 LPA. A DevOps Architect earns an average annual salary of 26 LPA, with salaries ranging from 13-47 LPA. The salary will vary based on the expertise you hold. As you move on with your career in DevOps, you will also see a growth in the roles and pay scale.

Closing thoughts

All you need is expertise and knowledge in the skill mentioned above, which will help you attain the best based on your skills. Gaining experience will improve your levels in an organization. A DevOps Architect holds more experience when compared to a DevOps Engineer. DevOps certifications will help you gain the best roles that prove your capabilities. DevOps training helps you gain in-depth knowledge and expertise in the skills required to clear the certification exam. Overall, DevOps is considered the biggest transformation for the organizations helping the employees to collaborate with the teams and run the operations and development effectively as per the business requirements, within the given deadlines. As it is a growing technology, it is expected to see many more DevOps Engineers and Architects soon, paving the way for multiple opportunities to prosper in your career.