What is a solutions architect? A vital role for IT-business alignment

A Solution Architect is a professional who designs and manages the implementation of a specific solution or set of solutions within an organization. These solutions typically involve software or technology systems and are designed to solve specific problems or to improve specific processes within the company. A lead architect is a role that leads and manages a team of architects, either within a project, a program, or a portfolio. A lead architect defines the architecture vision and strategy for the team, as well as the architecture governance and processes.

This means that about half of new enterprises end up being a waste of time and money. An architect must be capable of analyzing and identifying potential short and long-term risks that may cause technical issues and impede business operations in the future. As the job title implies, this specialist primarily focuses on solution-level decisions and evaluation of their impact on a client’s overarching business objectives and outcomes.

What is an Infrastructure Architect?

It’s a specialized job that involves quite a bit of analysis, internal and external investigations, surveys, studies, and so much more. The solution that was thought up to address this problem is someone who is capable of charting the path that a company was going to take with the highest likelihood of success. On top of that, this role needed to make sure that a project will actually put the company ahead of competitors.

The solution architect works very closely with the product manager, and in some teams, these roles may even be combined in one person. In other situations, the architect is more responsible for the engineering side of the issue. In general, the solutions architect’s role is to explain the business requirements to the development team and lead them in building a product that can solve real business issues effectively. The position is very responsible and requires wide-ranging IT skills and knowledge.

Overseeing the Implementation and Integration of Solutions

However, it is noteworthy that Solutions Architects are often among the highest-compensated professionals in the IT industry. Coordination and collaboration with diverse stakeholders is an essential endeavor for Solutions Architects. They serve as the vital liaison, uniting disparate teams and fostering a shared understanding and vision. By adeptly managing and balancing the interests and expectations of stakeholders, Solutions Architects drive seamless project execution and cultivate a collaborative environment. Solutions Architects are entrusted with the task of meticulously analyzing existing systems. By identifying potential areas of improvement, they can recommend modifications or enhancements that increase efficiency and productivity.

Software architects closely collaborate with development teams and control the entire development process. So, continuing the previous example, the software architect determines what exactly has to be done and how the result can be maintained. Enterprise architecture, which we covered in a dedicated article, focuses on building complex enterprise ecosystems and solves high-level strategic issues. Enterprise solution architect performance goals architecture defines the strategic directions of the business architecture, which then leads to an understanding of what technology facilities are needed to support that architecture. So, in other words, the enterprise architect defines what has to be done, while the solution architect then decides how to do it. Solution architecture is usually implemented as a part of enterprise architecture.

Job Titles Related to Solution Architect

Usually, when someone mentions infrastructure architects, they refer to solutions architects with all the responsibilities that were described in the previous section of this article. The name “infrastructure architect” usually highlights the fact that this specialist designs and implements software solutions based on the current infrastructure of the customer’s business. While solutions architects are valuable assets in any business, their importance remains impactful only till the time they are learning and delivering their best. A highly skilled solutions architect can be introduced to a company’s enterprise structure through IT consulting services. Talk to our experts today to know how your business can start benefiting from the expertise of a solution architect.

A senior architect also participates in complex and critical projects, and provides consultation and advice to other architects and stakeholders. A senior architect needs to have a proven track record of delivering successful solutions, as well as the ability to mentor and inspire others. The Enterprise Architect operates at the macro level, focusing on the overarching IT environment of the organization. They are tasked with defining, maintaining, and enforcing an organization’s architectural vision, ensuring alignment with business strategy.

Technical expertise

Their expertise enables them to optimize the design and implementation process, ensuring the chosen technology stack aligns seamlessly with the organization’s needs. A solutions architect designs and implements IT systems architectures that meet the set business requirements. Their role starts with gathering the requirements, understanding the specifications, evaluating the systems that are in place, and working closely with stakeholders to deliver the right solution. While the skill sets that we have mentioned above are crucial in nature, the solutions architects will also need to have a knack for clear communication. As a part of everyday activities, they will have to interact with developers, managers, project teams, and software architects plus the different stakeholders. For this level of extensive collaboration, it is crucial that they are able to share the vision and updates around the project in a way that every individual stakeholder understands and responds to.

As this change is quite complicated, every brand seeks an expert holding the required skillset and proficiency in balancing the business requirements with distinct modifications of technology solutions. Or we can say, as per the time’s demand, businesses need to run the digital transformation of their primary operations of transferring core processes to software solutions efficiently. One of the biggest challenges facing tech companies these days is failing projects due to the inability to competently map out trends and innovations that would actually work. This is why we have seen surveys that indicate nearly half of new projects failing within a year.

Technical background and experience

Aligning IT strategy with business goals has become paramount, and a solutions architect can help determine, develop, and improve technical solutions in support of business goals. If you are a sysadmin and you’re just focused on making yourself awesome on bash scripting, for instance, that’s not going to elevate your career in the long run. You will always get an opportunity if you’re working for an enterprise as a junior sysadmin to understand a problem, design a solution, and implement said solution. I’ve done that in my career many times with the aim that I’m going to be a Solution Architect or an enterprise architect in the future.

• So, for us, that’s where the sales factor comes in because when the customer likes our product, we can increase that stickiness and build that trust.
• A Solution Architect professional usually requires a degree in Computer Science or a related field, supplemented by several years of experience in IT or a related field.
• With a solution architect, a project has a much higher chance of seeing a successful launch than not.
• A new product never works alone; it should go well with the current enterprise architecture that already exists in the company.
• Simply put, this is the foundation of the product on which the long-term success of any project depends.
• They need to remember all the details of the projects and ideas to validate and approve them on time.

Before we dive into the topic, let’s clarify who is a solutions architect in general. As the answer to what is the role of a solution architect, these individuals wear many hats. They are individuals who look over the complete enterprise in terms of properties, business entities, relationships, and external ecosystems. Allow us to be your technical aid in another of your successful business venture.

Business Hours

They bridge business requirements and tech means developers need to use to meet these requirements. Architects speak both ‘technical’ language with developers and ‘business’ language with clients. We’d recommend choosing the second option as solution architects and enterprise architects mostly focus on different goals.

Types Of Architects

This means that at the end of development, the company receives not just a working application, but a product that will lead to scaling. A solution architect is also responsible for the continuous maintenance of a system developed. This person makes sure that there is a secure and stable IT environment for a software solution to work properly.

Responsibilities

A technical architect also evaluates and selects the appropriate technical solutions and vendors, and ensures that they comply with the technical standards and regulations. A technical architect needs to have a strong knowledge and skills in the technical domain, as well as the ability to research and innovate new technologies and solutions. The solution architect’s responsibilities include evaluating and selecting the tools and frameworks that best fit the unique requirements of the solution.