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About

Nico Smuts and the consulting practice behind CCS.

Cloud Consulting Services is the professional consulting practice led by Nico Smuts. The practice focuses on practical cloud, platform, security, delivery, and operations work where direct senior accountability matters.

  • Western Cape, South Africa
  • Remote
  • 8+ years remote experience
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Nico Smuts

Senior AWS, Kubernetes, DevOps, and platform engineering consultant.

Nico Smuts works across AWS modernization, Kubernetes and Amazon EKS platforms, DevOps delivery systems, infrastructure automation, observability, DevSecOps, and cloud cost optimization.

Cloud Consulting Services is a consulting practice focused on AWS modernization, Kubernetes and platform engineering, cloud cost optimization, DevSecOps foundations, infrastructure automation, startup technology foundations, and managed business technology.

8+ yearsRemote infrastructure deliveryRemote technical leadership and platform delivery experience.
USD 100k+Historical AWS estate scaleApproximate operating scale from selected prior employment, not current client spend.
~USD 50k/monthHistorical AWS cost reductionApproximate collaborative reduction from about USD 140k/month to below USD 90k/month.
SeniorDevOps and platform leadershipExperience includes Head of DevOps and Lead DevOps Engineer roles.

Focus areas

Where the practice is strongest.

The work is intentionally centered on infrastructure and operations problems where architecture, delivery quality, and handover matter.

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AWS modernization

Review and improve existing AWS estates with attention to reliability, ownership, security, and cost.

Kubernetes and platform engineering

Build, repair, or standardize Kubernetes and Amazon EKS operating paths for teams that need durable platform foundations.

Cloud cost optimization

Find and reduce operational waste while preserving reliability, observability, and delivery confidence.

DevSecOps and delivery systems

Improve CI/CD, secrets handling, access hygiene, observability, and delivery review without turning the process into theatre.

Operating principles

A direct, evidence-led consulting model.

  1. Client-owned infrastructure

    Accounts, repositories, cloud assets, and operational knowledge should remain understandable and client-owned unless a different arrangement is explicitly agreed.

  2. Evidence before claims

    Published experience uses verified, conservative wording. Approximate figures are marked as approximate and placed in historical context.

  3. Small systems, clear ownership

    Prefer clear interfaces, repeatable automation, and documented handover paths over complex tooling that creates dependency without improving operations.

  4. Remote by default

    The working model is remote-first, with communication and delivery organized around clarity, review, and operational visibility.

Beyond consulting

Practical technical interests that shape the work.

These areas are included as professional context, not as private personal detail.

Automotive technology and workshop systems

Hands-on interest in practical technical systems around vehicles, workshop infrastructure, diagnostics, monitoring, and automation.

Networking, IoT, and monitoring

A broader technical interest in resilient networks, connected devices, telemetry, and operational visibility outside conventional cloud work.

Aquaponics and agricultural automation

Interest in practical automation, sensing, and monitoring for aquaponics and agricultural technology contexts.

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