The role of a solutions architect is becoming increasingly important as businesses seek to align their IT strategies with their overall 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. This includes identifying areas where IT can support business goals, developing and improving technical solutions, and building and migrating software and services across the organization.
A solutions architect also plays a critical role in bridging communication between IT and business operations to ensure everyone is aligned in developing and implementing technical solutions for business problems. This requires regular feedback, adjustments, and problem-solving to properly design and implement potential solutions.
The scope of solution architecture itself encompasses business, system, information, security, application, and technology architecture. Examples of solutions architecture include developing cloud infrastructure for efficiency, implementing microservices for ecommerce, or adopting security measures for data, systems, and networks.
While job requirements and responsibilities will vary by company or industry, there are certain expectations of a solutions architect, including leading brainstorming sessions to develop potential solutions, identifying opportunities for process improvements, preparing and documenting testing requirements, working with business units to develop IT strategies, building and migrating software and services, working with product and delivery teams to develop scalable solutions and products, and communicating and consulting with clients and internal stakeholders to develop appropriate solutions.
To be successful in this role, solutions architects must have strong leadership and communication skills, as well as both technical and business knowledge. They must understand the business side of the organization to determine which IT solutions will fit the company’s goals, and their leadership skills will be important for steering the overall process of identifying key business objectives and determining the requirements for each solution.
Education and experience requirements vary depending on the role, but a bachelor’s degree or higher in information technology, computer science, software engineering, or a related field is typically required. For more senior roles, a master’s degree and more experience or education may be necessary.
In addition to education and experience, solutions architects should have a strong set of technical skills. According to data from PayScale, popular technical skills for solutions architects include SAP Business Warehouse, AWS and Azure, Apache Kafka, ServiceNow, Informatica, Data Management, Software Development LifeCycle, Big Data Analytics, Enterprise Service Bus (ESB), experience with enterprise architecture, experience working with IT architecture frameworks, and an understanding of IT security, infrastructure, and governance.
Certification is also important for solutions architects. There are many certifications and courses available for individual skills required for the job, such as Java, AWS, Azure, or Apache Kafka. In addition, there are several popular certifications for solutions architects, including AWS Certified Solutions Architect, The Open Group Certified Architect (Open CA), and Google Professional Cloud Architect.
In conclusion, the role of a solutions architect is becoming increasingly important as businesses seek to align their IT strategies with their overall goals. Solutions architects play a critical role in evaluating business needs, determining how IT can support those needs, and developing and implementing technical solutions to solve business problems. They must have strong leadership and communication skills, as well as both technical and business knowledge, and should be certified in relevant skills and technologies for their industry or field.
