Hiring a Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) might seem like the answer to your business's growing cloud challenges, but for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), it’s often not the best first step. Why? SREs are expensive, hard to find, and their expertise may exceed the needs of smaller teams. Instead, consider these more effective and affordable alternatives to improve your systems:
These strategies can stabilise your systems without the high cost or complexity of hiring an SRE. Only consider SREs when your organisation reaches a scale or complexity that justifies it - typically when you have 25+ engineers or face significant operational challenges.
Hiring Site Reliability Engineers (SREs) is no small feat, especially for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). The numbers paint a clear picture: SREs demand salaries that are 10–25% higher than those of early-career developers, often surpassing £100,000 annually before factoring in additional costs like benefits and bonuses.
To put this into perspective, a managed IT service for a 50-person organisation typically costs between £30,000 and £38,000 per year. In contrast, bringing in a dedicated SRE can set you back £120,000–£150,000 or more when all expenses are included. That’s nearly four times the cost of a comprehensive managed service solution.
The high price tag isn’t the only hurdle. The tech industry is facing a shortage of experienced SREs, and SMBs are often outmatched by tech giants and well-funded startups that can offer more lucrative salaries and benefits. For smaller companies, these challenges make alternative operational models a more practical choice until their needs grow to justify such a significant investment.
For many SMBs, the complexity of their IT systems simply doesn’t justify the expertise of an SRE. A common industry guideline - the "25 engineer" rule - suggests that SREs are typically needed only when a company’s engineering team reaches about 25 members.
Take, for instance, a digital agency with eight developers or a SaaS startup with a 15-person team. In such cases, hiring an SRE might mean paying top-tier rates for skills that won’t be fully utilised. SREs, who are often trained to handle large-scale, complex systems, may not be the best fit for the relatively straightforward needs of smaller organisations.
Allan Shone, Leader of Infrastructure and Platform at an Australian startup, explains:
"We need to focus on the right things at the right time to get the best benefits and accomplish what we need to accomplish."
In simpler environments, what SMBs often need is someone to manage basic monitoring and automate deployments, not an expert in managing sprawling, intricate systems.
This mismatch becomes even clearer when comparing different operational models.
| Factor | In-House SRE | Managed Services | Automation Tools | On-Demand Engineering |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Cost | £120,000 – £150,000+ | £30,000 – £38,000 | £5,000 – £20,000 | £40,000 – £80,000 |
| Onboarding Time | 3–6 months | 1–2 weeks | Days to weeks | 1–4 weeks |
| Flexibility | Limited (single role) | High (access to a team) | Very high | High |
| Expertise Level | Varies with hire | Proven collective team | Tool-specific | Variable |
| Risk of Unavailability | High (single point) | Low (team coverage) | None | Low |
| Cultural Fit | Potentially high | External | N/A | Variable |
Kit Merker, COO at Nobl9, summarises the essence of the SRE role:
"The SRE role comes down to helping others weigh the tradeoffs and pressures on them to deliver fast and to deliver safely."
However, if your team is still laying the groundwork with basic deployment pipelines and monitoring systems, the advanced problem-solving and trade-off discussions that an SRE brings might feel premature. What’s more, SREs can find their roles particularly challenging in smaller organisations that haven’t yet adopted or mastered SRE principles.
Timing is everything. Instead of rushing into hiring an SRE, SMBs can focus on building operational maturity through more cost-effective methods. Once their systems grow in complexity and scale, they’ll be better positioned to make full use of SRE expertise.
Building reliable cloud operations doesn’t have to mean hiring costly Site Reliability Engineers (SREs). Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) can achieve operational stability and maturity by using cost-effective tools and external expertise. These strategies allow you to enhance reliability without straining your budget.
Managed cloud services offer an affordable way to boost reliability without the need for a dedicated operations team. In fact, more than 78% of SMBs already utilise cloud services, benefiting from enterprise-level features at a predictable monthly cost. According to Microsoft, 82% of SMBs report cost savings after adopting the cloud, and 70% of them reinvest those savings into innovation.
Platforms like AWS Lambda take the hassle out of server management by automatically scaling to meet demand and charging only for the resources you use. Similarly, managed database services like Amazon RDS handle routine tasks - like backups, updates, and scaling - so your team can focus on innovation rather than maintenance.
By combining managed services with automation, you can streamline operations even further.
Automation tools can take over many tasks that would typically require an SRE, making your operations more efficient and secure. These tools can manage everything from software development pipelines to infrastructure provisioning, helping to reduce errors and improve scalability.
For example, GitHub Actions simplifies the setup of continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) pipelines, allowing automated testing, building, and deployment without needing extensive DevOps expertise. Similarly, infrastructure as code (IaC) tools like Terraform let you manage your cloud infrastructure through code, ensuring consistency and reducing manual errors. A company that implemented automation tools reported improved system stability and reduced downtime, all while cutting costs.
To complement automation, monitoring tools can detect issues early and alert your team when action is needed. Start by automating repetitive tasks and expand as your team grows more comfortable with the tools.
Even with automation in place, some tasks may require specialised expertise, which can be outsourced.
Outsourcing key tasks allows you to access expert support without the long-term costs of hiring full-time staff. This is particularly useful for 24/7 incident response, where external teams can handle emergencies during off-hours, reducing downtime and preventing burnout.
Outsourcing can also help with compliance. Certifications like ISO 27001 or SOC 2 often require expertise that SMBs may lack in-house. By working with experienced partners, you can implement the necessary controls and documentation to meet audit requirements.
For example, AlertBoot Mobile Security transitioned from hosting its own servers to cloud infrastructure services, saving over £65,000 per month in hosting costs. When selecting outsourcing partners, look for those with relevant certifications, clear communication practices, and a proven track record.
As Peter Drucker once said:
"Do what you do best, outsource the rest".
To ensure success, establish clear communication and set measurable performance expectations with your outsourcing partners.
To enhance cloud operations without relying on Site Reliability Engineers (SREs), focus on three core areas: automation and monitoring, cost control, and incident response. By starting with these essentials, you can boost reliability and efficiency while postponing the need for expensive in-house SRE hires.
Begin by identifying repetitive tasks that drain your team's time and energy. DevOps tools can simplify Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) processes and improve collaboration between development and operations teams.
Concentrate on four critical areas: Continuous Integration (CI), Continuous Deployment (CD), Infrastructure as Code (IaC), and Cloud Configuration Automation (CCA). These are the building blocks of modern cloud operations.
For CI/CD and infrastructure management, tools like GitHub Actions and Terraform offer scalable solutions. If you're managing multiple cloud providers, Terraform is a solid choice. On the other hand, if you're fully committed to AWS, CloudFormation might suit your needs better.
When choosing automation tools, consider the learning curve. For example, Ansible uses YAML, is agentless, and is relatively easy to learn, making it ideal for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). In comparison, Chef uses Ruby, requires agents, and is better suited for complex configurations. For teams just starting, Ansible's simplicity can be a great advantage.
A case in point is Strike, a property platform in the UK (now part of Purplebricks). After their internal team left, they turned to automation and DevOps services to maintain stability and reduce downtime. This example highlights how automation can dramatically improve operational reliability.
Start with small automation projects to showcase their value, and then scale up gradually. Invest in training to ensure your team can effectively manage and optimise these tools.
Once automation is in place, the next step is to focus on managing your cloud costs efficiently.
As your organisation grows, controlling cloud expenses becomes increasingly important. A 2023 report found that 39% of SMBs spent up to £450,000 annually on public cloud services. Managing these costs is crucial for maintaining profitability.
One of the simplest ways to reduce expenses is to audit your cloud resources regularly. Identify and eliminate unused or underutilised assets - this can lead to immediate savings. Implement tagging policies to categorise resources by project, department, or usage type. This helps with tracking and managing costs more precisely.
Automation can also help with cost control. For example, you can schedule start and stop times for non-essential resources, such as development or testing environments, to ensure they don't run during off-hours.
For workloads with predictable usage, consider purchasing reserved instances or committing to savings plans. These options typically offer significant discounts over on-demand pricing for one- or three-year commitments. For workloads that can tolerate interruptions, spot instances can provide even greater savings.
It's worth evaluating your cloud provider strategy. Sticking with a single provider for all services might lead to higher costs and redundancy issues. Exploring alternative providers can help you maintain competitive pricing.
Finally, foster a culture of cost awareness within your organisation. Train your teams on cloud cost optimisation best practices, and encourage collaboration between IT, finance, and business units to align technology spending with broader financial goals.
With automation and cost control in place, the final step is to prepare for incidents effectively.
No matter how well-optimised your operations are, incidents will still occur. The key to minimising their impact lies in having well-prepared, actionable incident response playbooks.
Document common incident scenarios and create step-by-step response plans that include:
Regularly test these playbooks through incident simulations to identify weaknesses and build team confidence in handling real emergencies.
For critical incidents that occur outside business hours, consider partnering with external support providers. This ensures 24/7 coverage without overburdening your team, reducing burnout while maintaining reliability.
Incident response is an ongoing process. After each incident, conduct a blameless post-mortem to identify areas for improvement and update your playbooks accordingly. This iterative approach helps strengthen your organisation's operational resilience over time.
Making the leap from external support to building an in-house Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) team is a decision tied closely to your organisation's growth and operational needs. For many small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), the right time to invest in SRE talent often aligns with hitting certain key milestones. These milestones help determine when it’s practical to shift from relying solely on external solutions to developing internal expertise.
Here are some clear indicators that your organisation might be ready to bring SRE expertise in-house:
For many SMBs, the shift to an in-house SRE team doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing decision. A hybrid approach - combining internal capabilities with external expertise - can offer flexibility and efficiency. Here’s how a hybrid model might work:
This approach is particularly relevant today, as about 70% of companies already use hybrid cloud strategies to balance internal and external resources effectively. If you choose a hybrid model, make sure to prioritise knowledge transfer to build lasting internal expertise.
A smooth transition to in-house SRE capabilities depends heavily on effective knowledge transfer. Here’s how to make it work:
For instance, the New York Times’ SRE team managed to shift over 50% of its workload from reactive support to project improvements. They achieved this by embedding SREs within development teams and gradually transferring responsibilities.
As Carla Geisser from Google SRE aptly states:
"If a human operator needs to touch your system during normal operations, you have a bug. The definition of normal changes as your systems grow".
Taking a measured, hybrid approach to building in-house SRE capabilities ensures your organisation stays resilient while maintaining its focus on product innovation and delivering value.
Building reliable cloud operations doesn’t have to start with hefty investments in SRE hires. For many SMBs and scaleups, relying on managed services, automation, and strategic outsourcing offers immediate benefits. This approach keeps costs predictable while driving steady, sustainable growth.
The numbers back this up: businesses leveraging cloud solutions grow 26% faster and are 21% more profitable than those that don’t. The global cloud-managed services market, valued at £210 billion in 2022, is growing at an annual rate of 12.8%, as more organisations embrace the efficiency it brings. By 2025, Gartner predicts 80% of businesses will shift away from traditional on-premises data centres to cloud solutions. These trends highlight the importance of adopting a lean, scalable strategy for cloud operations.
With this framework in place, you can implement automated monitoring, managed services, and efficient incident response systems to enhance operational maturity. This creates a strong foundation for future expansion, including the eventual addition of in-house SREs.
AI-powered automation plays a key role here, helping optimise resource allocation, predict demand, and minimise downtime - all without requiring advanced technical expertise. For added flexibility and cost savings, hybrid cloud strategies are also an excellent option.
When the time comes to bring in dedicated SREs, it will be a strategic move rather than a rushed decision. By then, you’ll have clear operational needs, well-defined processes, and a level of complexity that justifies the investment. This deliberate approach ensures that scaling your operations is both confident and cost-effective.
For small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), bringing on a full-time Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) can be both costly and challenging, particularly if you lack a strong in-house operations team. A practical alternative? Relying on managed services and automation tools.
These solutions come packed with benefits like cutting costs, boosting efficiency, and improving reliability. With features like round-the-clock monitoring, proactive support, and streamlined workflows, they ensure your cloud operations stay reliable, costs stay under control, and incidents are handled swiftly - all without the need to invest in a dedicated SRE team. This way, SMBs can concentrate on growing their core business while keeping cloud management simple and effective.
When small businesses reach a point where their operations outgrow the capabilities of managed services or automation tools, it might be time to bring in a Site Reliability Engineer (SRE). This typically happens when the business needs dedicated expertise to handle incident response, fine-tune performance, and maintain reliability as the scale of operations increases.
If your cloud infrastructure is still manageable with outsourcing or automated tools, it’s often more cost-effective to stick with those options for now. But as your systems become more complex and require tailored solutions, having an in-house SRE can significantly cut down on manual work and enhance long-term stability. The key is to assess whether the challenges you face and your growth trajectory make this investment worthwhile.
To keep cloud costs under control and improve efficiency without bringing in dedicated Site Reliability Engineers (SREs), the first step is to track cloud usage and spending. This helps pinpoint areas where resources might be wasted. Regularly reviewing your setup can uncover opportunities to optimise, like resizing virtual machines or leveraging reserved and spot instances to cut costs.
Automating repetitive tasks - such as scaling or backups - can also ease the workload and reduce operational demands. Periodic audits are essential for identifying and shutting down unused resources, ensuring better allocation of what you’re paying for. Another smart move? Look into managed services or outsourcing specific tasks. This can free up time and let your team focus on growth.
By following these steps, small and medium-sized businesses can stay on top of their cloud expenses and enhance performance, all without needing a dedicated SRE team.