By understanding these processes, they will design a specific solution that is most suitable for the environment. Solution architects design and configure software products to solve a specific business problem. They often work in the cloud computing industry, wherein businesses rely on them to configure the company’s cloud architecture. This process requires cross-team collaboration between networking, data storage, data processing pipelines, data security and many other disciplines. We have 15+ years of experience in providing business solutions for multiple industries like fintech, healthcare, construction, logistics, eCommerce, and others. Over these years, we have gathered a top-skilled team of prominent experts, including software architects.
An architect is responsible for translating the vision for the project to the development team and plays a pivotal part throughout the entire systems development lifecycle. A solution architect isn’t directly involved in project management but needs to ensure deadlines are met, and the appropriate resources are involved. Developing software development requires possessing an analytical mind that is able to assemble the many different jigsaw puzzle pieces of development efforts into one coherent and cohesive picture of productivity. A skilled architect acknowledges the importance of building up a corporate strategy. There are no industry standard definitions for Architect job titles — Application/System/Software/Solution Architect all refer in general to a senior developer with strong design and leadership skills. The balance of design, strategy, development (often of core services or frameworks) and management differ based on the organization and project.
What is a Solution Architect: Responsibilities and Role on a Project
This way, digital projects are less likely to fail and there is a consensus between EA teams and development teams. SA can be seen as a support system that provides structure and reduces the scope of complexity when developing and rolling out new systems and applications. The https://www.globalcloudteam.com/ solution architect’s job focuses on solution-level decisions and analysis of their impact on the overall business goals and outcomes. So, we can say that the product of a solution architect’s job is the set of technological solutions and the strategy of their implementation.
There are also infrastructure architects, information architects, and a few others, but in terms of total numbers these comprise a smaller percentage than the «big three». Solutions architect knows programming, integrating, and testing software systems and related devices. Define solution requirements, key features of the solution, and phases of implementation. Considering deadlines and resources is a necessary part of solution planning.
What is a solution architect?
Ideally, a solution architect should have technical skills and past architecture experience. Solution architects are the link between the business strategy and IT operations and therefore need to have an understanding of an organization’s architectural environment as well as real-life technical solutions. In their role, they need to establish credibility with both business leaders and IT experts. That is why good communication with a non-technical and highly technical audience is key.
Before joining Fresh, Dragan worked as a senior application developer, solution architect, software engineer, and founder of a software agency. His experience provides him authority in engineering, leadership, and analysis. Describing these applications and how they behave and interact with each other is defined in solution architecture. There’s no universal tool set, but there is modeling software for solution architects like ABACUS. While these aspects are constraints in themselves, each of them has its own limitations. The solution architect must understand all these constraints, compare them, and then make a number of technological and managerial decisions to reconcile these restrictions with project goals.
What does solution architecture mean?
First of all, they will grant you access to a vast talent pool of experts. In addition, you can channel all your energy into your business needs, and your vendor will take care of the recruitment process and will offer you the best specialists to choose from. Solution architect description encompasses many skills that are essential for a successful leadership role. To be sure, solution architect technical skills are a must, but communication skills are also equally important. They should be a master of both technical competencies and personal interaction. Solution architecture is the bedrock of every successful development effort.
A newcomer in the profession earns up to $40 per hour, while a senior specialist gets up to $70 per hour. If “hard skills” involve technical background and practical knowledge, then “soft skills” are more about communication, listening, time management, and other similar solution architect performance goals characteristics. Also, while the must-have skills are always the basics, there also are many nice-to-have ones that should not be neglected. When it comes to the projects, there are also many constraints that must be taken into consideration during all the processes.
Solution architect role description and responsibilities
Although solutions architects are not directly involved in project development, they still need to ensure that project resources are being used efficiently and impactfully. They should be business-minded and capable of identifying the most effective solution at every turn for every part of the architecture. It is their responsibility to focus on business goals, including hiring new people, and understand how to achieve them in the set timeframe and within the given budget. These strategies are aimed to reduce costs, eliminate redundant applications, technologies, or processes, and are meant to mitigate and manage the impact of a digital makeover. Not surprisingly, developing a target architecture requires an understanding of the entire organization and close collaboration with leaders and stakeholders.
- In such a situation, the solution architect must understand the company’s business processes in the solutions that are already used in the company.
- It’s generally best when companies blend enterprise architecture operations with tech architecture activities working closely on a certain project.
- This digital makeover calls for a particular expertise and knowing how to re-adjust business interests with IT solutions.
- That is why good communication with a non-technical and highly technical audience is key.
- Not all of the stakeholders are technical specialists, but this does not restrain them from having multiple requirements for projects.
- The exam lasts 130 minutes and requires a registration fee, depending on the exam type.
In other words, solution architecture shows how a system and its specific features help a company reach its determined business goals. A solutions architect is responsible for evaluating an organization’s business needs and determining how IT can support those needs leveraging software, hardware, or infrastructure. 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. The process of forming solution architecture, and solidifying the technical vision of the solution, is the job of a solution architect (or enterprise architect or computer network architects).
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The average annual base pay for a solutions architect in the US is $197,854, although it ranges from about $99,000 to $172,000, according to Glassdoor [1]. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment opportunities for computer network architects are expected to grow 4 percent from 2021 to 2031 [2]. As companies expand their information technology networks, the demand for solutions architects will likely increase.
It is about understanding the current state, its impact on the overall architecture, and defining new blocks and their interfaces. The initial high-level design will need to be monitored to confirm that it is consistent and compared with the solution’s overall design. Solutions architects early in their career report earning an average salary of $94,000 per year. As experience rises to mid-career, the average reported salary ranges from $115,000 to $137,000 per year. For late-career solutions architects with 20 years or more of experience, the average reported salary is $135,000 per year.
What is an infrastructure architect?
This certification targets professionals of different levels of seniority who work with AWS technologies while developing apps and systems. The exam lasts 130 minutes and requires a registration fee, depending on the exam type. The minimum experience needed for this test is at least 1 year working in the field. The certificate is valid for 3 years and requires recertification once it expires. Additionally, a solution architect exercises a leadership role over a project manager (PM).