Platform engineering is changing how teams produce software in the modern era. DevOps has helped teams work better together by connecting development and operations teams, but as the technology grows, the tech landscape needs more than just collaboration. It requires speed, scale, and an improved developer experience.
That’s where platform engineering steps in. It doesn’t replace DevOps; it improves it. Tools like internal developer platforms (IDPs) and self-service infrastructure are helping platform engineering make it easier for teams to build, test, and deploy software without delays or unnecessary hurdles.
According to a 2024 Puppet report, over 60% of organizations say improving developer experience (DevEx) is a key reason they’re investing in platform engineering. This shift is setting the stage for the future of DevOps, where automation, speed, and ease of use are built in from the start.
In this blog, we’ll break down how platform engineering is shaping the next phase of DevOps, how it supports developer productivity, and what teams can do to stay ahead.
What Is Platform Engineering?
Platform engineering is about creating and managing internal platforms that help development teams deliver software faster and with fewer errors. These platforms take care of complex tasks, like handling infrastructure, security rules, and tools, by giving developers self-service environments that come with built-in safety checks.
A recent Gartner prediction says that by 2026, 80% of software teams will have dedicated platform teams acting like internal product providers. The goal is to improve developer experience (DevEx) and reduce mental overload so developers can focus on writing code instead of dealing with things like Kubernetes or endless YAML configurations.
This shift towards platform engineering shows how DevOps is growing up. As companies scale, managing everything manually becomes harder. Platform engineering plays a key role in bringing automation and standardization to better align infrastructure with product goals.
How Does Platform Engineering Support DevOps?
Platform engineering is the next step in DevOps evolution. As DevOps brings developers and operations closer, platform engineering takes that collaboration and turns it into a productized, scalable system. It builds the internal tools and workflows that DevOps relies on and makes them reusable, automated, and developer-friendly.
Here’s how platform engineering actively supports and advances the future of DevOps:
Internal Developer Platforms (IDPs) for Self-Service
Internal developer platforms are the key element of platform engineering. These platforms combine everything a team needs, like CI/CD pipelines, environment provisioning, monitoring, and deployment tools, into a unified interface.
With IDPs, developers don’t have to wait for the operations team to set up environments. They can access self-service infrastructure whenever needed, which speeds up development and reduces dependencies. Guardrails ensure that governance, security, and compliance are built into the process.
Improving Developer Experience (DevEx)
One of the most important benefits of platform engineering is the improved developer experience (DevEx). Developers spend less time on infrastructure and more time writing code and shipping features, as their complex tasks are now simplified by platform engineering.
Teams that invest in DevEx see faster delivery, fewer context switches, and more consistent output. In digital environments, a strong developer experience is not optional; it’s critical for productivity and retention.
CI/CD Enablement and DevOps Automation
Platform engineering improves CI/CD enablement by providing pre-built automation templates to the teams. Instead of building pipelines from scratch, developers use standardized workflows that are already integrated into the platform.
This leads to faster, safer deployments and improves consistency across services. It also supports DevOps automation at scale, reducing manual tasks and enabling DevOps platform teams to focus on innovation rather than just fixing errors.
Establishing Platform Ops Teams
As platform engineering becomes more essential, many companies are forming platform ops teams. These teams treat internal platforms like products, complete with roadmaps, feedback loops, and performance metrics.
Teams also rely on toolsets that support remote collaboration and distributed work environments. This approach creates a more reliable and scalable DevOps foundation, where operational excellence and software delivery go side by side.
Solving DevOps at Scale
As organizations grow, managing DevOps manually becomes more difficult. Every new service, team, or environment introduces more complexity. Without a standardized approach, teams often build their own tools, creating a gap and inefficiencies.
Platform engineering solves this by offering a common layer that unites best practices across the organization, making DevOps easier to manage and scale.
Aligning Development and Operations with Clear Interfaces
While DevOps aims to break down barriers, alignment between development and operations still often falls short in practice. Platform engineering defines clearer roles and responsibilities by giving both sides a shared platform with agreed-upon workflows and guardrails.
This minimizes confusion, improves work, and builds shared accountability, which is crucial in larger teams.
The Future of DevOps With Platform Engineering
The future of DevOps is about scaling and improving the foundation. As organizations continue to grow in complexity, DevOps and platform engineering alignment will become essential.
Here are some future trends shaping this convergence:
Flexible platforms that work with any tools or cloud services your team already uses
AI-powered operations that use machine learning to improve performance and quickly spot issues
Developer portals that give teams one place to manage everything, from setting up environments to launching code
Automated policies that help enforce security and compliance without slowing down work
Smaller, focused platform teams that build tools tailored to the needs of different departments or product areas
The journey is still evolving, but one thing is clear: DevOps without a strong platform strategy will struggle to scale in the future.
Wrapping Up
Platform engineering is becoming the foundation for how modern DevOps teams scale, move faster, and improve developer experience. It builds on what DevOps started, bringing development and operations closer, but adds more structure, automation, and simplicity to the process.
With tools like internal developer platforms and self-service infrastructure, teams no longer need to manage every environment manually. Instead, they can focus on building better software with fewer delays and mistakes. As this shift continues, aligning platform engineering with DevOps will be the key to staying competitive and efficient.
The future of DevOps lies in smarter platforms, better collaboration, and a focus on developer productivity. Organizations that follow platform engineering today will be better prepared to handle tomorrow’s complexity with confidence.
Level up your DevOps approach, build smarter, and ship faster with platform engineering!
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