What are the differences between the five main types of solution architects?
A solution architect is responsible for identifying the best solution for any given business issue. This could include mapping out the development of an app and outlining specific tools and software to use, but also involves defining a clear route for development, calculating costs and leading the project throughout its lifecycle.
Types of architects
While solution architects bridge the gap between specific business problems and technical solutions, they also act as a middle ground for enterprise and software architects. The former focuses exclusively on a global business perspective, while the latter spends more time dealing with technical issues. To summarise:
- Software architect - Deals mainly with technical or engineering issues
- Solution architect - Bridges the gap between specific business problems and technology solutions
- Enterprise architect - Evaluates how a solution fits into the enterprise architecture, focusing on a business perspective
The five solution architect specialisms
The term ‘solution architect’ is actually rather broad and includes several roles that, although operating in a similar function, carry out slightly different activities within each specialism. These include:
- Infrastructure architect
- Security architect
- DevOps architect
- Data architect
- Network architect
1. Infrastructure architect
These professionals are responsible for an organisation’s IT infrastructure. This means they’re tasked with designing and implementing all data centre infrastructure, which maintains company network environments. Infrastructure architects create strategies to align with overall business objectives.
2. Security architect
A security architect monitors the security of an organisation’s IT infrastructure and ensures their business is within the guidelines set out by mandatory compliance regulations. They’re also responsible for continuously monitoring and approving the network configuration, testing security across the enterprise and guaranteeing the safety and protection of all computer systems within the company.
3. DevOps architect
The role of the DevOps architect is a very recent addition to the lineup of solution architecture specialisms. As the demand for continuous integration (CI) and continuous deployment (CD) has grown in recent years, businesses are more frequently looking for DevOps architects to deploy the pipeline for CI/CD.
4. Data architect
These experts act as a midpoint between IT and business operations. Their primary responsibility is to determine the most suitable technologies and procedures for collecting, storing and accessing enterprise information. The data is gathered through business operations, while the IT department employs various database resources to achieve the same goal.
5. Network architect
For the most part, a network architect is responsible for designing for computer network of an organisation. Unlike most other solution architecture specialisms, these professionals don’t necessarily need as much contact and collaboration with other experts. Instead, they focus on networking areas such as internet, intranet, firewall, WAN, LAN and many others.