The solutions architect’s role

If you wish to know how a solution should be organized and delivered, then a solutions architect plays an essential role in this context. A solutions architect designs the overall system and how different systems integrate across different groups. A solutions architect defines the expected outcome by working with business stakeholders and providing a clear understanding of the delivery objective on the part of the technical team.

Figure 1.2 contains a flowchart that shows the solution delivery life cycle. The solutions architect is involved in all the phases of solution design and delivery.

Figure 1.2: Solution delivery life cycle

As shown, the solution delivery life cycle includes the following, with the ways in which a solutions architect is involved:

• Business Requirement and Vision: A solutions architect works with business stakeholders to understand their vision.
• Requirement Analysis and Technical Vision: Analysis of the requirements, defining a technical vision in order to execute the business strategy.
• Prototyping and Recommendation: A solutions architect makes a technology selection by developing proof-of-concept (POC) and showcasing prototypes.
• Solution Design: A solutions architect develops solution designs in line with an organization’s standards and in collaboration with other impacted groups.
• Development: They work with the development team on solutions development, and as a bridge between the business and technical team.
• Integration and Testing: They make sure that the final solution is working as expected with all functional requirements and NFRs.
• Implementation: They work with the development and deployment team for smooth implementation and guide them through any issues.
• Operation and Maintenance: They ensure logging and monitoring are in place and guide the team on scaling and disaster recovery as required.

The overall life cycle is an iterative process. Once the application goes into production and customers start using it, more requirements may be discovered from customer feedback, which will drive the product vision for future enhancements.

The solutions architect has major ownership during solution design, in which they do the following:

• Document solution standards
• Define high-level design
• Define cross-system integration
• Define different solution phases
• Define an implementation approach
• Define a monitoring and alert approach
• Document the pros and cons of design choices
• Document audit and compliance requirements

Solutions architects are not only responsible for solution design; they also help project managers with resource and cost estimation, defining the project’s timeline and milestones, the project’s release, and its support plan. The solutions architect works through different phases of the solution life cycle, from design to delivery and launch. The solutions architect helps the development team overcome obstacles and hurdles by providing expertise and a broad understanding.

Depending on the project’s size and complexity, there may be a need for multiple solutions architects within a team. In general, this book explores the role of a solutions architect generically. Still, you often see solutions architects with different titles, as per the organization’s structure; for example, enterprise solution, software, or technical architects. In this section, you will find some distinct attributes related to the various titles. However, the responsibilities of the solutions architects may overlap, depending on an organization’s structure.

Solutions architects can be categorized as either generalists or specialists. Generalist solutions architects possess broad knowledge across multiple technical domains. They have a comprehensive understanding of various aspects of solution architecture and can provide holistic guidance. On the other hand, specialist solutions architects (SSAs) have deep expertise in specific areas such as big data, security, networking, or industry domains. They possess specialized knowledge and can provide in-depth guidance in their respective areas of expertise.

In many cases, a generalist solutions architect collaborates with SSAs to align the project’s requirements and complexity. This collaboration allows for the leveraging of the specialized knowledge of specialists while ensuring that the overall solution architecture remains cohesive and well integrated.

The presence of both generalist solutions architects and SSAs within an organization allows for a balanced and comprehensive approach to solution architecture. It ensures that the architectural decisions and recommendations align with the project’s needs, encompassing both breadth and depth of knowledge.

By combining the skills and expertise of different types of solutions architects, organizations can effectively address the unique challenges and requirements of their projects, leading to the successful design and implementation of robust solutions.

Generalist solutions architect roles

Generalist solutions architects play a critical role in solution architecture by having a broad understanding of multiple technical domains. They possess a comprehensive knowledge base that allows them to provide guidance and make informed decisions across various aspects of solution design and implementation. The following are the various types of generalist solutions architect roles.

Enterprise solutions architect

Do you ever think about how products launch in the information technology industry? This is where an enterprise solution role comes into the picture—they define best practices, culture, and suitable technologies. An enterprise architect works closely with stakeholders, subject matter experts, and management to identify organizational strategies for information technology and make sure that their knowledge aligns with company business rules.

Enterprise architects handle solution design across the organization; they create long-term plans and solutions with stakeholders and leadership. One of the most important aspects is to finalize which technologies should be used by the company and ensure the company is using these technologies with consistency and integrity.

Another important aspect of the enterprise architect’s role is defining the business architecture. In some organizations, you may see business architect as the job title. Business architecture fills the gap between organizational strategy and its successful execution. It helps convert a map strategy into executable action items and takes this to a tactical level for implementation.

The key difference between a solutions architect and an enterprise solutions architect lies in their scope of work and focus. A solutions architect focuses on specific projects or solutions, designing and guiding the implementation of applications or systems in line with business and technology requirements. Their role is often project centric, concentrating on particular technologies or functional areas. In contrast, an enterprise solutions architect operates at a more strategic level, overseeing the organization’s overall IT infrastructure and strategy. They ensure alignment of the IT strategy with business goals, integrating various solution architectures across departments. This role covers a wider range of technologies and business processes, focusing on the holistic technological landscape and strategic direction of the organization.

Overall, enterprise architects are more aligned with company visions and responsibilities when it comes to defining organization-wide standards for the successful implementation of the business’ vision.

Application Architect

An application architect, sometimes referred to as a software architect, plays a vital role in software design and development. They collaborate with the organization to define technical details for software development projects. The application architect focuses on ensuring that the software aligns with industry best practices and adheres to the organization’s standards. They work across different teams to understand how integration with other software modules will occur.

For example, a healthcare organization might ensure that a new patient management system integrates seamlessly with existing electronic health record systems, adhering to both healthcare regulations and internal protocols; or in a financial institution, they might oversee the development of a new banking application, ensuring it integrates securely with existing transaction processing systems and complies with financial industry standards. In both cases, the application architect ensures the software not only meets functional needs but also adheres to critical industry and organizational standards.

One of the key responsibilities of an application architect is managing the technical aspects of software development. They oversee API design, ensuring that it is well designed and performs optimally. They also consider scalability requirements, ensuring that the software can handle increasing workloads. Additionally, the application architect ensures seamless integration with other software components, making sure they can easily interact with each other.

The application architect serves as a point of contact for technical inquiries from the engineering team. They troubleshoot issues and provide guidance to ensure smooth system operation.

While smaller software development projects may not have a dedicated application architect, a senior engineer often takes on this responsibility and works on software architecture design.

In addition to technical expertise, the application architect plays a mentoring role. They support and guide the software engineering team, addressing any obstacles that arise during cross-team integration or due to evolving business requirements. Their close collaboration with the team ensures a cohesive and successful software development process.

Overall, the application architect contributes to the overall success of software projects by providing technical leadership, ensuring adherence to best practices, and supporting the engineering team throughout the development life cycle.

Cloud Architect

The cloud architect role has only come into existence in the last decade, but as cloud adoption is increasing among enterprises, this is one role that is in great demand. The role of cloud architect emerged in response to the increasing adoption of cloud technology by enterprises. As organizations move towards cloud computing, the demand for skilled professionals to plan, design, and manage cloud environments has soared.

Cloud architects are responsible for developing and implementing the company’s cloud computing strategies. They possess in-depth knowledge of various cloud services and can design solutions that leverage the full potential of cloud-native capabilities.

The use of the cloud is now very popular, and it has become the norm for organizations to move onto a public cloud. With the popularity of public cloud platforms like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP), cloud architects play a crucial role in guiding organizations through the cloud adoption process. You will learn more about cloud architectures in Chapter 3, Cloud Migration and Hybrid Cloud Architecture Design.

One of the key tasks of a cloud architect is assisting organizations in migrating their existing workloads to the cloud. They develop comprehensive cloud migration strategies and design hybrid cloud architectures that seamlessly integrate on-premises applications with cloud-based resources. This enables organizations to take advantage of scalability, cost efficiency, and ease of management offered by the cloud.

For start-ups and businesses starting from scratch in the cloud, a cloud architect can design cloud-native architectures that are optimized for the cloud environment. These architectures leverage the pay-as-you-go model to optimize costs and capitalize on the automation capabilities provided by the cloud platform.

In today’s business landscape, the cloud has become an integral part of enterprise strategies. To thrive in this modern era and keep up with the rapid pace of innovation and automation, having a skilled cloud architect is essential. They play a vital role in helping companies succeed by harnessing the power of the cloud and unlocking its potential for scalability, efficiency, and business growth.

Architect Evangelist

The role of an architect evangelist, also known as a technology evangelist, has emerged as a game changer in marketing, particularly in the context of complex solution platforms. In a competitive environment, people seek guidance from experts who possess in-depth knowledge and can address their queries, enabling them to make informed decisions. This is where architect evangelists step in with their expertise in specific subjects.

An architect evangelist plays a crucial role in designing architectures that cater to customer requirements and resolve their pain points. By becoming a trusted advisor for customers and partners, they possess a deep understanding of architectural concepts, issues, and market trends. This expertise helps secure platform adoption and contributes to revenue growth through increased market capture.

To drive platform adoption within the target audience, architect evangelists create public content such as blogs, whitepapers, and articles. They also actively participate in public platforms, including industry summits, technical talks, and conferences. Conducting technical workshops and publishing tutorials are also part of their repertoire, allowing them to spread awareness and generate interest in their products. Excellent written and verbal communication skills are essential for architect evangelists, and it is not uncommon to see solutions architects taking on technology evangelism as an additional responsibility.

Overall, architect evangelists serve as influential figures who promote their products and solutions to a wider audience. They leverage their expertise and communication skills to engage with customers, partners, and the community, ultimately driving adoption, growth, and market success.

Specialist solutions architect roles

In addition to the generalist solutions architects, there are specialized roles within the realm of solution architecture, depending on the organization’s structure and project complexity. These SSAs focus on specific areas of expertise to address unique challenges and requirements.

The specific roles and titles of SSAs may vary across organizations. Depending on the project and organizational complexity, a solutions architect may take on multiple roles, or different solutions architects may have overlapping responsibilities. The key is to ensure that the organization has the necessary expertise and skills in each specialized area to effectively address the unique challenges and requirements of the project. Let’s learn about some of the most common specialist architect roles.

Infrastructure Architect

An infrastructure architect is a specialist architect role heavily focused on enterprise IT infrastructure design, security, and data center operation. They work closely with solutions architects to make sure that the organization’s infrastructure strategy is aligned with its overall business requirements, and they allocate appropriate resource capacity to fulfill this need by analyzing both the system requirements and the existing environment. They help reduce capital expenditure that could be utilized for operational spending to increase organizational efficiency and ROI.

The infrastructure architect plays a critical role in defining and planning the organization’s IT resources, ranging from storage servers to individual workspaces. They develop detailed plans for procuring and setting up IT infrastructure, establish software standards, and coordinate system updates and patching across the organization. Security is a key aspect of their responsibilities, as they ensure that all environments are safeguarded against potential virus attacks. Disaster recovery planning and system backups are also part of their focus, ensuring continuous business operations.

For example, in most e-commerce businesses, planning for periods when demands will peak, such as Thanksgiving in the USA, Boxing Day in Canada and the UK, or Diwali in India, when most consumers start shopping, presents a challenge to infrastructure architects. They need to prepare enough server and storage capacity to accommodate the peak season, whose workload may be ten times higher than normal, thus increasing the cost of IT infrastructure. This system will be sitting idle for most of the year outside of the peak season.

They need to plan for cost optimization and better user experience, which is another reason they may use the cloud to fulfill additional capacity and scale on demand to reduce the cost. They need to ensure that systems are occupied while supporting the growth of new features.

In the context of the cloud, a cloud infrastructure architect is a specialized role within the field of infrastructure architecture that focuses specifically on designing and managing cloud-based IT infrastructures. They have in-depth knowledge of cloud platforms and services offered by major providers such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, and GCP.

Cloud infrastructure architects work closely with organizations to determine the optimal cloud architecture that meets their specific needs, considering factors such as scalability, cost efficiency, security, and performance. They design and implement cloud-based solutions, ensuring seamless integration with existing systems and applications.

Cloud infrastructure architects are responsible for planning resource allocation, managing cloud security measures, and optimizing the cloud environment for optimal performance and cost-effectiveness. Their expertise in cloud technologies enables organizations to leverage the benefits of cloud computing while ensuring a reliable and scalable infrastructure.

Overall, an infrastructure architect needs to have a good understanding of data center operation and the components involved, such as heating, cooling, security, racking and stacking, server, storage, backup, software installation and patching, load balancers, and virtualization.

Network Architect

Have you ever wondered how large enterprises with multiple offices or stores are able to connect and communicate seamlessly? Well, that’s where the network architect comes into play, orchestrating the organization’s network communication strategy and bringing the IT infrastructure to life.

A network architect is responsible for designing the computer network, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), internet, intranet, and other communication systems. They manage organizational information and network systems and ensure low network latency and high network performance are available for users to increase their productivity. They establish secure connectivity between user workspaces and the internal network using virtual private network (VPN) connectivity.

The network architect works closely with the infrastructure architect; you may sometimes see this as an overlapping role to ensure all IT infrastructures are connected. They work with the security team and design the organization’s firewall to protect against unethical attacks. They are responsible for monitoring and protecting the network via packet monitoring, port scanning, and putting an intrusion detection system (IDS) and intrusion prevention system (IPS) into place. You will learn more about IDS/IPS systems in Chapter 7, Security Considerations.

A network architect must stay up to date with the latest network strategies, operations, and secure connectivity techniques using VPNs. They configure load balancers, fine-tune domain name system (DNS) routing, and master the art of IT infrastructure connectivity. It’s like building a complex web of connections, ensuring that data flows smoothly and efficiently across the organization.

Data Architect

In the age of data explosion, the role of a data architect has become increasingly vital. Think about it—every solution design revolves around data, whether it’s customer information, product details, or insights derived from complex datasets. As data continues to grow exponentially, from gigabytes to terabytes and beyond, the need for effective data management and architecture is paramount. A data architect may have a different title, including analytics architect or big data architect. (I am not including the title database architect as their scope is limited to structured data inside relational databases like Oracle and Amazon Relational Database System (RDS).)

Traditionally, data was stored in structured relational databases. However, with the rise of unstructured data from sources like social media, the Internet of Things (IoT), and application logs, the landscape has shifted. Enter the data architect, the visionary behind the organization’s data strategy. Their role is to define rules, policies, standards, and models that govern the type of data collected and used within the organization’s database. They design, create, and manage the data architecture, ensuring consistent performance and quality.

The data architect collaborates with various stakeholders, including business executives, analysts, data engineers, data scientists, and development teams. Their customers range from executives using business intelligence (BI) tools for data visualization to data scientists leveraging machine learning (ML) techniques. The data architect’s goal is to meet the organization’s data needs and empower users with valuable insights.

To fulfill these needs, a data architect tackles a wide range of responsibilities. They choose the right database technology, determine the storage options for structured and unstructured data, manage streaming and batch data processing, and design data lakes as centralized data stores. They also ensure data security, compliance, and encryption to protect sensitive information. Data warehousing, datamart design, and data transformation are additional areas where their expertise shines.

With the growing prominence of ML in enterprises, dedicated ML architect roles are emerging. These specialists work closely with data architects to design and implement ML algorithms and models, taking data-driven insights to the next level.

In an ever-evolving technological landscape, data architects must stay up to date with the latest database technologies, BI tools, and security measures. Their expertise in data engineering and architecture paves the way for effective data utilization, empowering organizations to unlock the full potential of their data assets.

ML Architect

In the era of artificial intelligence (AI) and ML, the role of ML architect has gained tremendous importance. With organizations increasingly adopting ML in their solutions, the need for experts who can design and implement robust ML architectures has become crucial.

ML architects are responsible for applying systems thinking to implement and adopt ML in the enterprise software stack. They analyze and identify the most suitable tools and technologies for ML and AI implementation based on the organization’s requirements. They architect the information and data architecture to support ML, ensuring efficient data ingestion, processing, and storage for training and inference.

One of the key responsibilities of an ML architect is to modify the existing software stack and infrastructure to integrate ML capabilities seamlessly. This involves incorporating ML frameworks, libraries, and APIs into the existing ecosystem, enabling efficient data preprocessing, model training, and deployment.

Operationalizing ML solutions is another critical aspect of the ML architect’s role. They establish mechanisms for continuous monitoring and improvement of ML models, ensuring optimal performance, accuracy, and reliability over time. They work closely with data scientists, data engineers, and software developers to enable the seamless deployment and scaling of ML models in production environments.

ML architects must have a deep understanding of architecture best practices, performance optimization techniques, security considerations, compliance requirements, cost optimization strategies, and operational excellence in the context of AI and ML solutions. They design architectures that adhere to these principles while considering the cloud-native aspects of modern ML technology stacks.

In Chapter 13 of this book, you will dive deeper into the world of ML architecture, exploring design pillars, advanced design patterns, anti-patterns, and the cloud-native aspects of modern AI and ML technology stacks. It will equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to architect and deploy robust and scalable ML solutions.

ML is transforming industries and driving innovation across various domains. As organizations continue to leverage the power of ML, the role of an ML architect becomes indispensable in helping organizations harness the full potential of AI and ML for business success.

GenAI architect

In addition to ML, another emerging field that has gained significant attention is generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). GenAI focuses on creating intelligent systems that possess human-like cognitive abilities and can perform a wide range of tasks across multiple domains.

GenAI architects are responsible for designing and developing advanced AI systems that go beyond specific use cases and can exhibit general intelligence. They explore cutting-edge technologies such as deep learning, reinforcement learning, natural language processing, and computer vision to build intelligent systems capable of reasoning, learning, and adapting in real time.

GenAI architects leverage their expertise in neural networks, cognitive science, and computational models to create architectures that enable machines to understand complex data, make decisions, and solve problems in a manner that simulates human intelligence. They work closely with interdisciplinary teams, including data scientists, computer scientists, and domain experts, to shape the overall GenAI solution.

Designing a GenAI architecture involves addressing challenges such as ethical considerations, and the ability to handle uncertainty and ambiguity. GenAI architects focus on building systems that can learn from limited data, transfer knowledge across domains, and exhibit robust performance in dynamic and unpredictable environments.

In Chapter 14 of this book, you will delve into the fascinating world of GenAI architecture, exploring the principles, techniques, and challenges associated with building intelligent systems that can achieve GenAI. You will gain insights into the latest advancements, architectural paradigms, and ethical considerations in GenAI, empowering you to design and develop intelligent systems that push the boundaries of AI capabilities.

As the field of AI continues to advance, GenAI offers immense potential for transforming industries, revolutionizing automation, and enabling machines to perform complex tasks that were previously thought to be the sole domain of human intelligence. The role of GenAI architects is pivotal in driving this transformation and shaping the future of intelligent systems.

The integration of ML and GenAI into solution architecture has brought about exciting possibilities for intelligent automation, personalized experiences, and breakthrough innovations in various industries.

Security Architect

In today’s digital landscape, ensuring the security of organizational data and systems is of paramount importance. The role of a security architect becomes crucial in designing and implementing robust security measures to protect against potential threats and vulnerabilities.

A security architect collaborates with various teams and external vendors to prioritize security across the organization. They are responsible for designing and deploying network and computer security solutions, safeguarding information systems, and securing company networks and websites. They also play a key role in vulnerability testing, risk analysis, and security audits to identify potential weaknesses and develop mitigation strategies.

As part of their responsibilities, security architects review and approve the installation of firewalls, VPNs, routers, and other security measures. They conduct thorough testing of security processes to ensure their effectiveness and provide technical guidance to security teams. Compliance with industry standards and regulations is a crucial aspect of their role, ensuring that applications adhere to necessary security protocols and that data is appropriately encrypted and accessible.

Security architects possess a deep understanding of security technologies, tools, and techniques, and are skilled in designing comprehensive security architectures that cover data, network, infrastructure, and applications. Their expertise and knowledge play a critical role in protecting organizations from cyber threats and ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of sensitive information.

In Chapter 7 of this book, you will delve into the security considerations, exploring the principles, best practices, and emerging trends in security architecture. You will gain insights into the methodologies for assessing risks, implementing security controls, and fostering a culture of security within organizations. By understanding the role of security architects and the intricacies of security design, you will be equipped to create robust security architectures that fortify organizations against potential threats and safeguard their valuable assets.

DevOps architect

In today’s fast-paced and highly competitive landscape, organizations are seeking ways to streamline their development and operations processes to deliver applications faster, more efficiently, and with higher quality. This is where the role of a DevOps architect becomes crucial.

DevOps is a collaborative approach that bridges the gap between development and operations teams, enabling them to work together seamlessly. A DevOps architect plays a pivotal role in driving this collaboration and implementing practices and tools that automate various aspects of the software delivery life cycle.

One of the key responsibilities of a DevOps architect is to establish and optimize continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines. They automate the build, testing, and deployment processes to ensure that code changes are thoroughly tested and seamlessly deployed to production environments. By automating these processes, organizations can reduce errors, accelerate release cycles, and deliver software more reliably.

Infrastructure as code (IaC) is another important aspect of a DevOps architect’s role. They leverage tools like Chef, Puppet, Ansible, and Terraform to define and automate the provisioning and configuration of infrastructure resources. This enables the development and operations teams to easily create, replicate, and manage environments, providing greater flexibility and scalability.

Monitoring and alerting are essential components of a robust DevOps architecture. A DevOps architect plans and implements monitoring solutions that continuously monitor the application, infrastructure, and security incidents. Automated alerts are set up to promptly notify the appropriate teams in case of any issues or significant changes, allowing for quick response and resolution.

Disaster recovery is also a critical consideration for a DevOps architect. They design and implement deployment strategies that ensure organizations can recover from failures or disasters with minimal data loss (recovery point objective (RPO)) and downtime (recovery time objective (RTO)). By planning for disaster recovery in advance, organizations can minimize the impact of potential disruptions and maintain business continuity.

In Chapter 11 of this book, you will dive deeper into the world of DevOps in the aspect of the solution architecture framework. You will explore the principles, methodologies, and tools used in DevOps, and understand how to integrate DevOps practices into your solution architecture. By embracing DevOps under the guidance of a skilled DevOps architect, organizations can enhance collaboration, accelerate delivery, and achieve greater agility in today’s dynamic technology landscape.

Industry Architect

Industry architect is a specialist role that focuses on designing solutions specifically tailored to a particular industry or vertical. They possess deep knowledge and expertise in the specific domain and understand the unique challenges, requirements, and regulations associated with that industry.

The role of an industry architect is to collaborate closely with stakeholders, including business executives, subject matter experts, and technology teams, to understand the specific needs and goals of the industry. They analyze industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices to develop architectural strategies that align with the industry’s objectives.

Industry architects are responsible for translating business requirements into technical solutions that address industry-specific challenges. They design and develop industry-specific software applications, systems, and platforms that cater to the specific needs of the industry. This includes considering factors such as compliance, data privacy, security, scalability, and interoperability.

In addition, industry architects play a crucial role in staying up to date with the latest innovations and advancements within the industry. They continuously evaluate new technologies, tools, and frameworks that can enhance the industry’s operations and drive competitive advantage.

Collaboration and communication skills are essential for industry architects as they need to work closely with diverse stakeholders, including business leaders, developers, data analysts, and regulatory authorities. They act as trusted advisors, providing guidance and recommendations on technology adoption, architectural decisions, and digital transformation initiatives within the industry.

By leveraging their industry expertise and architectural knowledge, industry architects contribute to the growth, efficiency, and digital transformation of organizations operating in specific sectors. Their role is critical in ensuring that technology solutions align with industry standards, regulations, and best practices, ultimately driving innovation and success within the industry.

Here are some examples of industry architects in specific sectors:

• Finance industry architect: They specialize in technology solutions for financial institutions, understanding complex regulations and security needs. They develop solutions for risk management, fraud detection, and compliance in the finance sector.
• Manufacturing industry architect: They design solutions for manufacturing sectors like automotive and consumer goods, focusing on supply chain optimization, production planning, and industrial IoT for enhanced efficiency and productivity.
• Retail industry architect: They develop technology solutions for retail, including POS systems, CRM, and omnichannel experiences. They address data security and integrate physical and digital retail channels.
• Healthcare industry architect: They focus on healthcare solutions, designing systems for EHR, patient management, and telemedicine. They address privacy, security, and compliance with healthcare regulations.

These are just a few examples of industry architects and the sectors they specialize in. Each industry has its unique challenges, requirements, and technology landscape, and industry architects play a critical role in designing tailored solutions that meet the specific needs of that industry.

The SSA role extends beyond industry and technology domains to include specific SaaS providers like Salesforce, ServiceNow, Databricks, and Snowflake, as well as enterprise workloads from SAP, VMware, Microsoft, Oracle, and cloud platforms like AWS, GCP, and Azure. Covering every variant of the SSA role in one section is challenging; therefore, this section focuses on the general concept of the SSA role, emphasizing its diversity and the breadth of specialization within the field.

As you have learned about various solutions architect roles, let’s now dive deep into their responsibilities.