TCP #28: Think your startup's too small for platform engineering?
3 limiting beliefs holding startups back in adopting platform engineering
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When it comes to platform engineering, many SaaS startups fall into the trap of thinking it’s something only significant, well-established companies can afford to implement.
This thinking leads to hesitation, missed opportunities, and outdated processes.
In the fast-paced SaaS world, failing to adopt platform engineering practices means slower development cycles, higher operational costs, and less scalability, which could leave your startup struggling to keep up with competitors.
In today’s newsletter issue, we will examine 3 limiting beliefs and explore why adopting platform engineering on AWS Cloud is feasible for startups and essential for their growth.
Belief #1: "Platform Engineering Is Only for Large Companies"
A common misconception is that platform engineering requires a large team, complex systems, and a huge infrastructure that only more prominent companies can afford.
Startups often believe they’re too small to benefit from it and that the overhead is too high to be practical.
But is that true?
Here are three scenarios people often cite when justifying this belief:
Assuming that platform engineering requires a large, dedicated team to manage and maintain the infrastructure.
Believing that the cost of implementing platform engineering tools is too high for a startup’s budget.
Thinking that the operational complexity is too much for a small team.
This belief is not based on concrete reality.
With AWS Cloud, you can leverage managed services like AWS Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS), AWS Lambda, and AWS Fargate, simplifying platform management.
You don’t need to hire a large team or manage extensive infrastructure manually. These scalable and cost-effective tools allow you to focus on building and scaling your product rather than managing infrastructure.
For example, the company I worked at initially hesitated to adopt platform engineering due to cost and team size concerns.
By using AWS Fargate for container management and Lambda for serverless functions, they automated many of their operational tasks without expanding their engineering team.
The result?
Faster product releases and lower operational costs are all managed by a team of 2 infrastructure software engineers.
Is the belief that platform engineering is only for large companies still valid?
No, it’s not.
AWS Cloud provides scalable, affordable tools that allow startups to adopt platform engineering practices without needing a large team or significant financial resources.
Start exploring these tools today and see how they can streamline your operations.
Belief #2: "We Need to Be Platform Engineering Experts to Start"
Many SaaS startups think they need to be platform engineering experts before implementing these practices. This belief keeps them stuck, thinking they lack the technical skills to start.
This is not true.
People mistakenly believe you must have extensive platform engineering knowledge before diving in. However, you develop expertise over time, and getting started is not a requirement.
Let’s break this down with some key phases of expertise development:
In the beginner phase, you learn the basics of AWS tools and how they fit into platform engineering.
The intermediate phase is where you start automating tasks like deployment and scaling.
The advanced phase is where you refine and optimize your platform engineering processes.
In the continuous learning phase, you regularly enhance your skills and keep up with new AWS services and updates.
This progression shows that platform engineering expertise is built gradually through hands-on experience.
To move forward, start by automating a small aspect of your infrastructure, like deploying your application with AWS CodePipeline.
AWS provides step-by-step guides and managed services, so you don’t need to be an expert immediately. Each step will build your knowledge and confidence.
What areas of your business have you improved through learning and experience? What challenges have you overcome without being an expert at the start?
Chances are, you’ve already tackled complex tasks before without being an expert from day one.
Platform engineering is no different.
Belief #3: "Our Current Processes Work Fine; We Don’t Need Platform Engineering"
Another common belief is that a startup's existing processes are "good enough" and that platform engineering isn’t necessary.
Some startups assume that their tools and workflows are sufficient and don’t see the point of making changes until they need to.
But the reality is, as your SaaS startup scales, your current processes might not keep up. What works now may soon become a bottleneck.
Consider your current processes as manual tasks that work for now but may lead to slower development, higher costs, and more operational overhead as you grow.
Platform engineering with AWS Cloud allows you to automate and optimize these processes so your team can focus on building and improving your product instead of constantly managing infrastructure.
Here are three specific ways that platform engineering on AWS Cloud improves your startup's operations:
Automating deployment and scaling allows you to release features faster and with fewer errors.
Centralizing your infrastructure management gives you better control and visibility into your operations.
Enabling faster iteration and innovation, your team can focus on development rather than manual infrastructure tasks.
You control when and how you implement platform engineering.
Start by evaluating your current processes and identifying areas where automation could save time and resources.
For example, if you’re still manually scaling your servers, consider using AWS Auto Scaling to handle traffic spikes automatically.
Key factors in adopting platform engineering are the need for faster releases, lower operational costs, and the ability to scale with ease.
Remember, your current processes may work now, but as your startup scales, they might not be enough.
By adopting platform engineering practices using AWS Cloud, you’ll future-proof your startup, making it more efficient, scalable, and ready for growth.
Final Thoughts
To adopt platform engineering, you don’t need massive resources or expert-level skills or wait until your processes break down.
AWS Cloud offers affordable, scalable solutions that make platform engineering accessible to SaaS startups of all sizes.
Challenge these limiting beliefs and take the first step toward implementing platform engineering with AWS Cloud.
Your startup’s future depends on it.
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That’s it for today!
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Until next week — Amrut
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