Hire Expert AWS Government Cloud Developers

Why hire AWS government cloud developers? If you are a US government organization or if you are a partner to such organizations, then you need to meet stringent regulations. US FedRAMP (Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program) or US ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) are a few examples of such regulations. 

Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and US DOJ’s Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS) Security Policy are other examples. To make your life easier, while benefiting from increased security, scalability, and powerful tools, you will need to utilize cloud computing for efficiency and economy, however, you can’t just use any cloud platform. AWS GovCloud (Government Cloud) is the solution that a huge number of government departments have opted for. AWS offers its considerable cloud capabilities with appropriate security mechanisms via AWS GovCloud. 

Naturally, many US government organizations and their partners are turning to AWS GovCloud. This increases the demand for AWS government cloud developers. You might find it hard to hire such developers, so you need to plan well.

You might think that hiring freelancers will suffice. However, this approach exposes your project to considerable risks. Hiring AWS developers from software development companies such as DevTeam.Space with our extensive AWS cloud experience is your best bet. More on that later. 

However, you need to understand the skill requirements before choosing your hiring approach. These requirements are as follows: 

Primary skills for AWS government cloud development 

AWS government cloud developers need the following primary skills: 

• Sound knowledge of cloud computing;
• Familiarity with different cloud computing platforms like IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service), PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service), etc.;
• Good knowledge of different cloud computing delivery models like public, private, and hybrid;
• Excellent knowledge of AWS cloud;
• In-depth knowledge of AWS government cloud;
• Understanding of security mechanisms used in AWS government cloud;
• Experience in one of the key programming languages like Java, Python, JavaScript, etc.;
• Deep knowledge of SQL and NoSQL databases;
• Unix or Linux administration skills;
• Proficiency with AWS cloud platforms like Elastic Beanstalk, Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), AWS Amplify, etc.;
• Familiarity with AWS services in areas like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), analytics, etc.;
• Good knowledge of Amazon RDS (Relational Database System);
• Understanding of Amazon ECS (Elastic Container Services);
• Knowledge of Amazon EKS (Elastic Kubernetes Services);
• Familiarity with Amazon CloudWatch, the AWS cloud monitoring service;
• Knowledge of AWS Lambda, the serverless computing platform offered by AWS;
• Understanding of AWS database migration;
• In-depth knowledge of AWS CI (Continuous Integration)/CD (Continuous Delivery) tools.

Other software development skills needed by AWS government cloud developers 

AWS government cloud developers also need the following skills and competencies:

1. Application security skills needed by AWS government cloud developers

Government organizations and their partners use AWS GovCloud to meet their stringent security requirements. They also need competent developers to develop secure application systems. AWS developers need to AWS GovCloud security mechanism. However, they also need to know the following:

• How to implement solutions like multi-factor authentication (MFA);
• The steps to implement encryption of data-in-transit and data-at-rest;
• How to implement digital signatures;
• Best practices for using antivirus and firewall solutions;
• How to secure APIs;
• Top application security vulnerabilities and their mitigation measures;
• How to use AWS security tools effectively;
• Solutions that provide real-time threat intelligence;
• Best practices in security and compliance testing.

2. API development skills needed for AWS government cloud development

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You will likely develop your own APIs as a part of your AWS GovCloud software development project. Therefore, you need AWS developers with API development expertise. They need to know the following:

• The considerations and factors for choosing between GraphQL vs. REST APIs;
• The steps and processes to develop RESTful APIs;
• Best practices for hosting APIs using AWS GovCloud;
• How to design RESTful API endpoints;
• Guidelines for using API documentation tools like Swagger;
• How to use API development tools like Postman;
• API testing processes;
• Best practices for API security, e.g., authentication, encryption, quotas, throttling, etc.;
• How to create rules for API responses and requests.

3. Government sector knowledge

AWS government cloud developers need good knowledge of the government sector. The government sector differs considerably from industry. Government projects involve public money, therefore, they face intense scrutiny. 

The government sector is also a broad one. Different government departments in areas like tax collection, revenue, healthcare, education, etc. work differently. Therefore, their partners work differently too.

You need AWS developers with good knowledge of a specific government sector area. Developers also need extensive knowledge of the regulatory frameworks relevant to that government sector area.

4. Code review skills needed by AWS government cloud developers

The high visibility and complexity of a government sector project naturally make quality management very important. You need to implement both verification and validation activities for software quality management. Therefore, you need a thorough code review process in addition to testing. 

AWS developers need code review experience. They should take a systematic approach to code review. They also need to know the important code review strategies.

5. Software engineering and software development methodologies skills

The complexities inherent in government projects highlight the importance of following the relevant software development processes. You need AWS developers with a good understanding of software development processes. They should understand coding guidelines, testing, DevOps, etc. 

AWS developers should understand software engineering best practices. They need a thorough knowledge of important software development methodologies, e.g., the agile methodology.

6. Software architecture skills needed by AWS government cloud developers 

Implementing business requirements effectively is important in any project. This is the same for non-functional requirements (NFRs) like performance, scalability, maintainability, testability, etc. Good software architecture is important for meeting these requirements. 

You need AWS developers with software architecture knowledge. They should know about software architectural patterns. Furthermore, they should know how software architectural decisions are made.

7. Competencies needed by AWS government cloud developers 

AWS developers in government sector projects need the following competencies:

• Teamwork: You will likely have a wide range of stakeholders in government sector projects. Successful completion of the project requires meaningful participation by all of them. AWS developers need teamwork skills to make this happen.
• Communication skills: Balancing conflicting demands and growing complexities are some of the realities in a government sector project. AWS developers in these projects need to communicate effectively to navigate these complexities.
• Problem-solving skills: Every software development project encounters problems, the amount of which can be higher in government projects. You need AWS developers with problem-solving skills.
• Empathy: You need AWS developers to understand the perspectives of end-users. They need empathy for this.
• Passion for excellence: All around the world, government agencies face increasing demand for excellence in service delivery. You need AWS developers keen to deliver an excellent user experience.
• Commitment: While government sector projects face many complexities, stakeholders also want timely and successful project completion. AWS developers in such projects need to commit to the project scope, budget, quality, and schedule requirements. 

How to find the best AWS government cloud developers?  

Now that you understand the skills and competencies that AWS government cloud developers need, start the hiring process. You need to do the following:

1. Choose the right platform to hire AWS government cloud developers 

Government sector projects seek to deliver services to people. The question of accountability considerably increases the visibility of these projects. Government ministries and departments can’t afford to fail in these projects. As a government sector leader, you ought to find the right people for the success of the project. Hiring the wrong people can have far-reaching negative repercussions in a government sector project. You can see why the right hiring decision is important.

You might think that hiring freelancers will be fine. Freelance platforms allow you to negotiate a low hourly rate. After all, this results in cost savings. 

We don’t recommend this approach for government sector projects though. 

Freelancers work part-time on your project. Managing even a simple project is hard with part-timers, therefore, you can well imagine the challenges in a complex government project. You will find this problem more prominent if you hire remote freelancers.  

You can’t get any project management support from freelance platforms. Government sector projects need to conform to important information security-related regulations. You can’t be sure if freelancers will treat sensitive information with caution, etc.

Freelancers can leave your project mid-way. You will need to spend considerable time and money to hire replacement developers.

We recommend you hire full-time AWS government cloud developers from reputable software development companies like DevTeam.Space. Our developers have the relevant expertise and experience. Our stringent vetting process ensures quality. You can expect to get supportable and maintainable code from our dedicated developers. 

We train our AWS programmers in our AI-powered agile process. Our AWS developers are motivated. We treat your sensitive information with care. You also get complimentary support from a dedicated tech account manager. Mitigate important project risks by hiring from DevTeam.Space.

2. Interview AWS developers

You have selected the appropriate hiring platform and posted your job ad. Subsequently, you received resumes from AWS developers. You now need to interview them. Request friends or colleagues to help you with the interview if you don’t have familiarity with AWS. Alternatively, you can check out our AWS interview questions that will help you.

Ask enough questions from all technical skill areas. You should ask questions that require practical knowledge of AWS government cloud and software development. Avoid asking only theoretical questions. 

Evaluate how candidates solved problems in their past projects. AWS developers should describe specific project problems and their solutions. You can explain your project requirements and ask how candidates would approach such a project. Expect specific suggestions, and don’t be satisfied with jargon. 

3. Onboard AWS government cloud developers

Now that you found the right developers, you need to onboard them effectively. AWS developers can then become productive quickly. 

Describe your project context to the new developers. Explain the project requirements to them. Share documents like functional requirements, non-functional requirements, and technical solutions.

You should promptly grant access to the project’s technical environment. New developers need access to the project code repository. They also need access to other relevant tools.

Government sector projects might require developers to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). Take care of these requirements. 

Introduce the new developers to your existing team. Explain their roles and responsibilities. You should explain the project plan to new developers, subsequently, you should describe the project schedule. Explain the project milestones.

Set up a communication process with the new developers. You need to explain the work approval process to them. Establish accountability.

Interviewing tips to hire AWS government cloud developers

Check out the following interviewing tips when you hire AWS government cloud developers:

1. Hire AWS developers with considerable experience in the government sector 

Government sector projects differ significantly from software development projects in other sectors. Regulatory requirements are important aspects that differ, however, they aren’t the only ones. E.g., documentation requirements in government sector projects are often more than in other projects. You should hire AWS developers that have worked extensively in the government sector.

2. Look for a healthy mix of experience 

Government sector projects tend to be complex. You should not think of hiring only junior AWS developers for such projects. Hire enough senior developers so that you have a judicious mix of experience in the team.

3. Don’t underestimate the importance of developers with software development process skills!

The heightened scrutiny of government sector projects puts the spotlight on software development processes. You must strive for predictable outcomes in high-visibility government sector projects, and following the right processes is important. Hire AWS developers from leading software development companies like DevTeam.Space since our developers are trained in world-class development processes.

Examples of interview questions when hiring AWS government cloud developers 

Ask questions that help you assess the hands-on skills of candidates, e.g.:

1. Describe your performance tuning experience in an AWS government project 

Answer:  

In response to this open-ended question, AWS developers might talk about the performance challenges faced by applications. They might then describe how they resolved performance issues. Developers might talk about their experience in revamping the architecture, optimizing database queries, using the right technology stack, etc.

2. Talk about the domain-specific insights you gained about the government sector. 

Answer:  

AWS developers might talk about the different government sector projects that they have worked on. Their lessons vary based on the domain, e.g., revenue department, education department, justice department, etc. Expect candidates to mention the specific business knowledge they gained while working on government sector projects.

3. Describe how you used AWS GovCloud to meet the requirements of government clients

Answer:  

In reply to this open-ended question, expect AWS developers to explain the government clients they served. They should explain how they used AWS GovCloud. Expect them to describe the challenges they faced, subsequently, they might describe the mitigation measures.

Submit a Project With Zero Risk

AWS is a leading cloud computing platform, and AWS GovCloud helps government customers. Government sector projects can be complex though. You need to find good AWS developers with relevant expertise to get them right. Why take the risk of hiring anything but the best AWS game developers?

DevTeam.Space has several experienced AWS developers with relevant expertise. All of our dedicated AWS developers have been vetted and trained in our unique AI-powered agile process.  

We match only the most suitable developer or development team to your project specifications. If you would like to learn more, simply fill out our DevTeam.Space product specification form and one of our experienced account managers will get in touch to answer any questions you might have.