5 steps to making the right choice when looking for cloud application developers

The world has seen a drastic increase in the global cloud application market over the past years, projected to grow steadily within the current decade. Cloud-based applications offer a number of advantages, such as improved performance and scalability, and that is why high-end cloud application developers are among the most sought-after experts in the industry. 

Exceptionally skilled and experienced developers are hard to come by, and many businesses experience difficulties when trying to hire cloud application developers. So how do you find and hire cloud application developers, avoid major pitfalls, and ensure the success of your project? Let’s see how you can make that process simpler and reliably find the best talent in the industry thanks to team extension and custom software development services provided by a reliable technology partner.

Hiring cloud application developers: What are your first steps?

According to CNCF, there are more than 7 million cloud developers worldwide, which puts you in front of a tough choice. How do you hire the right people for the job and how can you be sure of the quality of the apps they develop? 

Making the wrong choice and bringing unqualified people to the team can have disastrous outcomes for your project, cause delays and financial losses, and generally disrupt the development process. So, where do you even start? 

Step 1: Clearly define your business needs

When looking for cloud app developers, you first need to access your business needs. There are three common scenarios:

1. Lack of internal talent: you may already have a number of cloud application developers working in-house, but you need several more to boost the efficiency of the development. That is when you might need outstaffing services from a reliable custom software development company. Outstaffing allows you to augment your existing team with several cloud application developers fast and at a reasonable cost.
2. Need for modernization: you want to reinvent your internal processes using the technology you are not familiar with. For instance, the goal is to migrate to the cloud, which is a whole process in its own right, and you need an expert cloud migration team that can help you modernize your existing ecosystem.
3. Start a project from scratch: this is a common scenario that may require a whole team of experts, from cloud architects to cloud application developers, designers, and project managers. If you need to build a project from scratch, the best idea is to partner up with a reliable cloud development vendor who already has relevant experience and expertise.

Step 2: Choose where to hire

In most cases, your business needs will dictate the place you would hire cloud application developers from. You can look in four main directions:

1. Freelance developers

Freelance platforms are probably the easiest and fastest way to find any kind of expert out there. Freelance cloud application developers come with a set of benefits and flaws.

Pros of freelance developers:

• Easy to find;
• Fast to hire;
• Flexible and usually eager to get a good gig.

Cons of freelance developers:

• Low commitment to you and your project;
• Lack of responsibility and concrete guarantees;
• Might lack proof of actual expertise.

Should I work with freelance developers? Freelancers are good for short gigs; hire them for a couple of months or for a specific task, and that’s it. Freelancers can be a solution to the short-term needs of your project. At the same time, freelancers are rarely long-term players. They tend to switch to the next best gig whenever the opportune moment comes. 

2. In-house developers 

In-house cloud application developers are the most reliable option for long-term cooperation. Again, you need to evaluate the pros and cons before considering this option.

Pros of in-house developers:

• High commitment and loyalty to the employer;
• Experience can be verified and tested;
• Higher trust between you and the employee;
• Employees are knowledge-keepers.

Cons of in-house developers:

• Slow and expensive to hire;
• You have to take care of administration and management;
• May lack exposure to innovation and market trends.

Should I hire in-house developers? You might want to have in-house talent if you are a technology company or if some essential parts of your business require technical expertise. However, it can be borderline impossible to hire and keep a whole team of cloud app developers in-house, especially if you need such specific expertise. On top of that, you will have to take care of all the administrative issues, such as payroll management, reimbursements, sick leaves, taxes, insurance, and more. All of that will cost more as you hire more developers.

3. Outstaffed developers

Outstaffing allows you to hire developers from another software development company. You can hire as many as you need for the period of time that you need. The outstaffed developers will work as a part of your team, but there are some things to consider.

Pros of outstaffed developers:

• Fast recruitment;
• Reliable technology partner equals strong expertise;
• Long-term commitment to the project;
• Full control over the team’s performance;
• Cost-efficiency compared to in-house recruitment;
• Scalable and flexible teams.

Cons of outstaffed developers:

• Inconsistent communication between in-house and outstaffed teams;
• Managerial responsibilities are on you.

Should I work with outstaffed cloud app developers? Outstaffing is a convenient option for hiring extra developers for your existing team. This is called team extension, as you basically bring in new talent from the outside to aid your existing team. Alternatively, you can outstaff an entire team that will work remotely if you find a big enough vendor who can supply enough developers for your project.

4. Outsourced teams

Finally, you can outsource your entire project to a reliable cloud development company. If you don’t have the right talent to even kick off your project, you can use solution development services offered by one of the industry’s trusted partners. 

Pros of outsourced teams:

• No managerial headaches;
• Full commitment to the project goals;
• Efficient cooperation within the outsourced team;
• Flexible teams that adapt to the project’s needs;
• Proven expertise that matches your project;
• Guarantees of delivery according to SLA.

Cons of outsourced teams:

• Can be more expensive than other options;
• Lack of control on your side.

Should I work with outsourced cloud application developers? Outsourcing is the best option if you need to build a cloud application and don’t have the right talent to begin and continue the development process. Partnering with a reliable cloud development service provider, you can count on the exceptional quality of the final product, respect for your budget, and timely delivery of all the project milestones. You can get a turnkey solution that matches your requirements and advances your business. 

Step 3: Research potential cloud development vendors

With clearly defined goals and an idea of how you are going to hire, you will need a list of potential candidates for the job. Let’s assume that you are not going to hire many freelancers and opt for either outstaffing or outsourcing. Outstaffing and outsourcing are the optimal solutions for cloud application development projects as they allow for a much faster project kickoff and a much more robust software development life cycle (SDLC). 

How do you find a reliable software development partner that can help you hire cloud application developers, kick your project off, and develop a product you have envisioned? Here are three steps you can take: 

1. Define destination

There are many outsourcing destinations around the world. You can find good developers in the Americas, Europe, and Asia - almost anywhere in the world. The choice is yours, and you need to select a destination that suits you best. Different countries offer their perks. For instance, the US is the country with the largest number of software developers, but it is also one of the most expensive countries to hire. India follows close by in terms of numbers, and it is also more cost-efficient to hire there, but it is a far-off location, which can cause serious communication delays.

Read more: Top IT outsourcing companies in the USA: your ultimate guide to the American tech market 

Europe can be considered the optimal location for most western businesses to outsource to. Countries like Poland, Ukraine, and Bulgaria offer lower hourly rates while keeping high product quality and professionalism standards. Developers in these countries are located in one to two times zones away from any European capital, which cuts any problems with communication delays. 

You need to select a location that offers reasonable prices, is not too far off, has a sufficient IT talent pool, and is generally convenient in terms of communication and possible travel.

2. Compile a search list

The fastest way to quickly compile a list of potential partners to find cloud application developers for your project is to go to trusted ranking websites. There, you can filter the vendors out by their area of expertise, proven experience, client rating, reviews, and a number of other criteria.

You have to check client reviews, see what the main strengths of your potential vendors are, see what types of projects they usually work on, how fast they hire, and how they solve the challenges of their clients.

3. Narrow down the list and contact the vendors

After you’ve compiled a long list of potential vendors, cut it down to no more than five candidates. Select the ones with the most extensive experience in your industry, a sufficient number of employees, high project success rates, and the best reviews. You may even contact their previous clients and ask for more detailed feedback. After that, you can proceed to a more focused selection of candidates.

Step 4: Ask the right question to make the right choice

At this point, you may want to get in touch with several potential vendors. That is where you will have to ask several important questions to see if they can provide you with the services you need. Here are some of the questions you may want to ask:

1. What technologies do they work with? You must know whether they have the relevant experience working with cloud technologies that will be required to develop your cloud application. Depending on the needs of your project, you will be looking at different tech stacks. For the front end, you may need such tools as HTML, JavaScript, TypeScript, CSS, and more. For the back end, you may need to use such languages as Golang, Node.js, and Ruby. You may also need to use such databases as MongoDB, MySQL, PostgreSQL, or others. These are just some of the tools your cloud application might need, so you have to be sure your cloud app developers have the necessary skills.
2. What is their market segment focus? Usually, you can find this information on the vendor’s website. See what industries they focus on. If you are a manufacturing company, you need a vendor who has relevant experience working with the businesses in your industry. If you are, say, a shipping company, you need a vendor who has experience in logistics and supply chain software development. See what industries your candidates focus on and select the ones that have relevant experience. 
3. Can they ensure Intellectual Property protection? This is one of the most worrisome questions for many companies. Can they reuse your code in their other project? That is what Intellectual Property regulations are for. If the vendor complies with such regulations, it means they cannot do such things, and all the details of your cooperation will stay between the two of you, and all the developments will belong to you.
4. How do they run the development process? If you go for a team extension, you will run the project yourself. However, if you opt for an outsourced team that will develop a custom software solution for you, you might want to know exactly how they would approach that process. Consider the following criteria:
5. What is the vendor’s SDLC? A clearly defined and well-structured software development life cycle is vital for successful product delivery. Your vendor has to follow certain best practices in setting up SDLC for cloud application development. A well-defined SDLC guarantees stable development, timely achievement of project milestones, and adherence to the budget.
6. How do they ensure transparent communication? You must have a clear line of communication with your vendor, and you have to be sure they will report all the aspects of the project to you. When you hire cloud application developers, you need to know they are conveying all the important information to you via interpersonal communication or project management software like Jira.
7. Do they have experience in building high-load apps? Over time, your app might have a large number of users. In case thousands upon thousands of users will use the application simultaneously, the application will have to withstand an ever-increasing load. Make sure your vendor has the knowledge and skills required to develop high-load cloud applications.

When looking for reliable cloud application developers, you need to select a vendor who can provide access to the right kind of talent, has mature software development practices, complies with the IP regulations, uses the optimal project management approach, upholds high communication standards, and develops high-load apps. Your project requirements can be unique, so you may want to ask more specific questions that correspond to the needs of your project. 

Step 5: Partner up and initiate the development process

After carefully analyzing the list of potential vendors, contacting them, and asking all the questions, you can finally make your choice. Work with a reliable vendor who can help you hire cloud application developers and help you launch your project. You can outsource your entire project to a custom software development company that can handle the whole process from product discovery up to market launch. 

Alternatively, you can use the vendor’s team extension services and power up your in-house team with external talent. That way, you can hire the industry’s top experts from a reliable software development company and quickly augment your team with the people you need. 

Why N-iX is a reliable cloud application development partner for your business

• N-iX is a custom software development company that provides cloud-native development services for clients across such industries as manufacturing, logistics & supply chain, retail, telecom, fintech, and more.
• We offer 21 years of experience along with 2,200+ experts on board. Over the years, our developers have worked on dozens of cloud projects for Fortune 500 companies and industry leaders worldwide.
• N-iX has a vast pool of cloud application developers, of which we have 80+ AWS-certified and accredited experts, 45+ MS-certified developers, and 10+ GCP specialists.
• N-iX is a one-stop-shop cloud application development service provider that can help you either develop your application from scratch or reinforce your existing team with our experts as a part of the team extension service.
• We are more than a software development vendor, we are a reliable partner you can trust with the most complex technology challenges. We are a Google Cloud Platform partner, a Microsoft gold certified partner, an AWS Advanced Consulting partner, OpenText Service silver partner, and an SAP partner.
• Our Technology Office ensures the highest standards of quality. Our experts currently run more than 100 projects and deliver 50+ PoC, Discoveries, and MVPs each year.