By Freddie 
The tech industry moves fast, but some shifts deserve more attention than others. Platform engineering is one of them. Gartner predicts that by 2026, 80 percent of software engineering organisations will establish dedicated platform teams. That’s not a minor adjustment. It’s a fundamental change in how companies build and deploy software. For anyone considering a DevOps Course right now, understanding this shift is essential for making smart career decisions.
What Platform Engineering Actually Means?
Traditional DevOps focused on breaking silos between development and operations teams. It succeeded. Deployment cycles have shortened dramatically. Collaboration improved across departments. But scaling created new problems. Developers started managing too many tools, configurations, and infrastructure details. Productivity suffered despite all the automation.
Platform engineering emerged as the response. The core concept involves building Internal Developer Platforms, commonly called IDPs. These platforms centralise deployment pipelines, monitoring systems, security protocols, and compliance checks into unified interfaces. Developers write code. The platform handles everything else. It sounds simple, but execution requires deep technical expertise across multiple domains.
The market data support this trajectory. The global container market, which forms the backbone of most platform engineering work, is projected to grow from $2.1 billion in 2023 to $4.3 billion by 2026. That represents a 30 percent compound annual growth rate. The broader DevOps market should hit $15 billion by 2026, expanding at roughly 20 percent annually. These aren’t speculative figures. Major enterprises are already restructuring their engineering departments around platform-centric models.
Skills Employers Actually Demand
Job posting analysis reveals clear patterns. Docker expertise appears in 42.77 percent of platform-related positions. Kubernetes follows at 28.02 percent. AWS knowledge shows up in approximately 12 percent of listings. Linux administration and Bash scripting complete the core requirements. But here’s what matters most. Employers don’t want isolated tool knowledge. They need engineers who understand how these technologies interconnect within larger systems.
This explains why structured training programmes outperform self-directed learning for many professionals. Watching YouTube tutorials teaches individual tools. Comprehensive courses teach integration, architecture, and troubleshooting across distributed environments. Hiring managers consistently report that candidates understand containers but struggle with platform design. That gap represents both a challenge and an opportunity.
The salary data reflects this demand. Average DevOps compensation reached $144,290 in Q1 2025 according to industry surveys. DevOps Architects command approximately $209,000 annually. Engineering managers in this space average $229,000. Top performers with specialised platform skills earn well above $200,000. These figures aren’t outliers. They represent what companies willingly pay for scarce expertise.
Regional Opportunities Worth Noting
India’s technology sector has embraced platform engineering faster than many Western markets anticipated. Hyderabad stands out particularly. The city hosts numerous global capability centres alongside homegrown product companies, creating sustained demand for cloud-native professionals. Enrolling in a DevOps Course in Hyderabad now offers access to curricula already updated for platform engineering realities. Many programmes incorporate Kubernetes, Terraform, and observability tools that older courses still neglect.
AIOps integration is expanding rapidly alongside platform engineering adoption. The AIOps market was valued at $16.42 billion in 2025 and projected to reach $36.6 billion by 2030. Platform teams increasingly rely on AI for observability, incident prediction, and automated remediation. Engineers who understand both platform architecture and AI-assisted operations will command premium positions in the coming years.
Remote work flexibility adds another compelling dimension. Current data shows that only 20 percent of DevOps roles require full in-office presence. Platform engineering positions follow similar patterns. Geographic constraints matter less than demonstrated competence with relevant technologies.
Conclusion
The companies building internal platforms today will shape software development for the next decade. Whether you participate depends entirely on the skills you develop now. The window for early-mover advantage remains open, but competition increases monthly as more professionals recognise where the industry is heading.