What is a Solution Architect?
Organizations must alter their processes and systems to suit evolving business requirements in a quickly changing technological environment. To match business emphasis with technology solutions, this digital transformation necessitates specialized knowledge and a set of procedures. Before any tech solution development can begin, solution architecture is one of the most important strategies to follow.
What is solution architecture?
By adapting IT solutions to specific business demands and specifying their functional requirements and implementation stages, solution architecture lays the foundation for software development initiatives. We make it up of several subprocesses that are guided by distinct enterprise architectural perspectives.
To better comprehend the importance of solution architecture in software development, you must first consider what a solution is. Although this may appear to be a simple example, it shows why solution architecture is one of the most critical steps to consider when re-designing your IT landscape. A solution is, at its most basic level, a manner of describing a response to a problem. In the business environment, this entails assessing clients' wants or problems and developing solutions to replace or improve the current system.
In solution architecture, we enlarge client demands to include business needs that are tied to technology. They frequently identified these requirements by re-evaluating existing systems and determining how they benefit or harm the firm in the long run. Business analysts, who also provide an issue definition, sometimes carry these assessments out. Solution architects then take this problem and write a description of solutions that are suited for this demand.
Solution architecture, in this case, integrates technical business needs into real IT solutions while also defining rules and instructions for proper development and delivery. It also considers all external elements that could influence the development process. Digital initiatives are less likely to fail this way, and enterprise architects and development teams can work together. When creating and deploying new systems and applications, we can think solution architecture of as a support system that offers structure and limits complexity.
What is the Solution Architect's Role?
So what does a solution architect do? It might seem complex, but the role itself is quite simple.
A solution architect assesses a business’s overall business requirements and identifying how IT can meet those requirements using software, hardware, or infrastructure. The importance of aligning information technology strategy with overall business goals has grown, and a solution architect can help determine, developing, and improving technical solutions that support business objectives. A solution architect also acts as a link between IT and business operations, ensuring that everyone is on the same page while developing and executing technical solutions for business issues. In order to successfully design and implement viable solutions, the process causes constant input, modifications, and problem-solving.
Business, system, information, security, application, and technology architecture are all included in solution architecture. Developing cloud infrastructure for efficiency, integrating microservices for eCommerce, and establishing security measures for data, systems, and networks are all instances of solution architecture. While the job's scope varies based on the demands of the company, solution architects must meet certain responsibilities, abilities, and credentials in order to be hired.
The Responsibilities of a Solution Architect
While job requirements and responsibilities differ by organization and industry, the following are some basic expectations of a solution architect:
- Develop scalable solutions and products in collaboration with product and delivery teams.
- Create acceptable solutions, communicate and interact with clients and internal stakeholders.
- Conduct brainstorming sessions to come up with viable answers to corporate challenges or demands.
- Identify areas where you can improve the process.
- Make a list of testing requirements and record them.
- Determine which areas of IT can help you meet your business's demands and objectives.
- Develop IT plans with business divisions and improve current IT implementations.
- Develop and deploy software and services throughout the enterprise.
Solution architects must be able to collaborate with leaders, managers, and employees from many departments. They may also need you to work with clients to understand their expectations and requirements if you're on a product team. In a client-facing profession, a solution architect must also know how to manage customer satisfaction and create expectations for the end result.
To put it simply: A solution architect plays a very critical role in terms of business architecture planning, and they are subject to the constraints of the enterprise architecture.
How is a Solution Architect Compared to other Architects?
Enterprise Architect vs. Solution Architect
Enterprise architects manage, refining, and upgrading the enterprise. We focus them on capability development, supporting the operating model, enterprise software, and services. They're in charge of keeping up with the latest trends and innovations, as well as keeping an eye out for any capabilities, services, or systems that could help enhance the competitive position.
Enterprise architects and solution architects work together. I focus the enterprise architects on crafting how the organization will change at a portfolio-planning level, and are usually responsible for determining which changes will happen. We focus a solution architect on implementing a project and working directly on the changes happening at the moment.
Solution Architect vs. Technical Architect
A technical architect is a systems logistics specialist who designs, maintains, and integrates information technology systems for a developing business or IT firm. To thrive as a technical architect, you'll need the perfect combination of IT knowledge and management skills.
Often, solution architects and technical architects are considered synonymous and interchangeable. However, that’s not entirely accurate. Technical architects specialize in IT-centric environments where the solution is only focused on technology implementation and nothing else.
Solution Architect and Business Analyst
Business analysts are in charge of bridging the gap between IT and the company by assessing processes, identifying requirements, and providing data-driven recommendations and reports to executives and stakeholders using data analytics.
Solution architects and business analysts work well together. The business analyst is very much focused on the discrete business activities that will be changed or improved. The solution architect has a much broader focus on the end-to-end system. The system architecture may make changes some users may not value or want–something that a business analyst will have to work on with the solution architect.
AWS Solution Architect
AWS solution architects are a specialist in AWS services. An AWS solution architect has the advantage of very good IT skills and technical architecture background. Most solution architects have to worry about how IT services will be provided, so a solution architect with AWS background is very viable.
So what is an AWS solution architect exactly? Inside the AWS Cloud, an AWS Solution Architect develops, produces, delivers, and manages business applications and essential infrastructure. They've established skills and knowledge to aid in the design and development of innovative cloud-based solutions, as well as the migration of existing workloads to the cloud.
Solution Architect and Product Manager
A product manager analyzes the consumer demand and bigger company objectives that a product or feature will meet, articulates what success looks like for a product, and rallies a team to make that vision a reality.
Agile product owners and product managers should work with a solution architect or product architect. The solution is really the product, so these two professionals will need to collaborate often. A good solution architect can step in and act as a product architect in a digital products organization.
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Become a Better Solution Architect with Conexiam
The consultants at Conexiam are proud to offer our Architecture Kick-start Program. This free 90-day course helps you become a high-functioning, top-notch solution architect. Those who register will receive weekly webinars, supporting material, and tools for support.
Ready to get started? Get in touch with the consultants at Conexiam to learn more about how our TOGAF Certification Training and Enterprise Architecture Training can help you develop good architecture skills and development.
How Much does a Solution Architect Make?
Comparably.com highlights the average solution architect salary can be quite varied in the United States, depending on experience and skill. solution Architect salaries in the United States range from $45,320 to $206,652, with a median pay of $108,400. The median salary for solution Architects is $108,400 to $140,000, with the top 86% earning $206,652.
Tools for Solution Architecture
The main tools used by solution architects include cloud-based data management tools, project management tools, collaboration and communication, content management, performance monitoring platforms and formal modelling like Avolution ABACUS. Outside of the above tools, Conexiam also offers a wide range of training via the Enterprise Architecture Kickstart Program.
Solution Architecture does not have an industry standard framework like the TOGAF Standard.
