Who IT Architects are and What They Do

Architects may lead an exhilarating life, although it is often rather demanding. Their job is sometimes misinterpreted by Managers and Technical Staff, since their emphasis on attaining optimal and scalable design may lead to missed project deadlines.

Conversely, there is a significant need for an IT Architect as conventional firms seek to modernise their IT infrastructure to remain competitive.

Surprisingly, many successful organisations with world-class software and system design may not employ any architects at all. But that doesn't mean that they do not need one.

Who are Architects ?

Defining the role of an architect can be complex, but sometimes it’s easier to clarify by distinguishing what an architect isn’t. People often hold exaggerated notions of architects as superheroes—solving performance issues in the morning and transforming organisational culture by afternoon. This view risks stretching architects into roles that aren’t true to their purpose.

Architects Are Not Senior Developers A common misconception is that being an architect is a natural step up from a senior developer. However, while senior developers excel in creating specialised, running software, architects focus on broader concerns, including organisational strategy and system-wide considerations. In mature IT organisations, architects and engineers often follow distinct, equally valuable career paths, each with its own rewards and impact.

Architects Are Not Firefighters Architects are often called on to troubleshoot or handle crises due to their wide-ranging understanding of system landscapes. While architects can provide insights into production weaknesses, constantly being involved in firefighting detracts from their core responsibility—designing resilient architecture. Architecture is distinct from operations and shouldn’t be reactive.

Architects Are Not Project Managers Architects are expected to balance various complex topics that impact project timelines, staffing, and required skill sets. Consequently, upper management may come to rely on them for project updates, especially when project managers are bogged down with administrative tasks. While this can seem natural, it’s a slippery slope that pulls architects away from their primary focus: designing robust, forward-thinking systems.

Architects Are Not Scientists While architects do need a sharp intellect and the ability to think systematically, they operate within the constraints of real business projects. Unlike scientists who often publish complex theories, architects aim to make complex topics comprehensible for stakeholders. The role of the architect is to bridge business needs with technical solutions, ensuring architecture serves practical, tangible outcomes.

Types of IT Architects

Just as real-world architecture has diverse specialisations, IT architecture encompasses roles like software architects, solution architects, enterprise architects, and more. Each type of architect operates at different levels of abstraction and focus:

• Software Architects Software architects are responsible for the high-level design of software products, focusing on architectural patterns, code structure, and technical standards. They work closely with developers to make design decisions that promote maintainability, scalability, and efficiency within each software system. Software architects also ensure that individual software components align with the overall enterprise architecture.
• Enterprise Architects Enterprise architects focus on the organisation’s strategic IT vision. They align technology decisions with business goals, designing frameworks that support long-term growth, adaptability, and efficiency across departments.
• Solution Architects Solution architects work on creating specific solutions that address particular business challenges. They operate within the guidelines set by enterprise architects but focus on designing detailed solutions that integrate seamlessly into the larger architecture.
• Infrastructure Architects Infrastructure architects concentrate on the physical and virtual hardware foundation—servers, networks, cloud infrastructure, and more. They ensure the organisation’s infrastructure can support current operations and scale for future needs, focusing on reliability, performance, and scalability.
• Application Architects Application architects oversee the design and structure of individual applications. They consider how applications integrate with each other and the broader system, guiding development teams to ensure consistency, performance, and usability.
• Security Architects Security architects create and implement security measures across systems, networks, and applications. They develop policies, protocols, and safeguards to protect against threats, addressing risks that could compromise the organisation’s assets and data integrity.
• Data Architects Data architects specialise in data management strategies, focusing on storage, accessibility, and integration. They design data models and frameworks to ensure data is organised, accessible, and valuable for business insights.

Just as a well-planned city requires the expertise of both urban planners and building architects, a robust IT environment benefits from each type of architect, each bringing a unique but essential perspective. Imagine living in a beautifully designed house in a chaotic city with endless traffic and limited facilities, or vice versa—both scenarios are frustrating. Similarly, in IT, a well-designed software application requires robust infrastructure, secure environments, and strategic alignment to thrive.

In this way, each kind of architect contributes to a holistic, balanced system that ensures technology serves the organisation effectively, now and into the future.

Measuring an Architect’s Value

Assessing an architect's value can be challenging, as their impact may not always be immediately visible. One way to gauge their effectiveness is by looking at the longevity and adaptability of the IT system. If a system can continue to absorb high rates of change over many years, it's likely that a skilled architect was involved. However, waiting years to evaluate an architect is not always practical. Instead, architects can demonstrate their value in several ways:

• Architects "Connect the Dots" : Each individual element of an IT system may be well-designed and efficient, but the overall system might still fail to meet business needs. Architects ensure the interdependencies between systems are well understood, making sure that all parts of the architecture work together effectively to support business goals.
• Architects See Trade-Offs: Every decision in system design comes with trade-offs. Architects are skilled at weighing the upsides and downsides of each choice, ensuring that decisions align with the organisations overarching goals and principles. They balance competing needs and make choices that support long-term sustainability.
• Architects Look Beyond Products: Too often, IT decisions focus on product selection based on features and names. Architects look beyond the product and evaluate the decision's broader implications. They assess the options and trade-offs, ensuring that the final choice supports the system's long-term viability and scalability.
• Architects Articulate Strategy: The primary purpose of IT is to support the business strategy. Architects bridge this gap by translating business needs into technical drivers. They align technical decisions with strategic objectives, ensuring that technology directly supports the business’s goals.
• Architects Fight Complexity: IT systems can become overly complex, which leads to inefficiency and confusion. Architects strive to reduce unnecessary complexity, through governance structures like architecture review boards and by "retiring" outdated systems that no longer add value. They ensure that systems remain maintainable and sustainable.
• Architects Deliver: The value of an architect is grounded in their ability to implement solutions and learn from real-world feedback. Architects don’t just create theoretical designs; they stay involved in actual project implementations to ensure their decisions are sound and impactful. Without this feedback loop, architects risk losing sight of the real-world impact of their decisions.

Conclusion

Architects in the IT field play a critical, multifaceted role that goes far beyond designing systems.

While their work may not always be immediately visible, the long-term impact of good architecture is clear—systems that can evolve with the business and continue to deliver value over time. Architects are not just creators of diagrams but practical problem-solvers who harmonise complexity, guide strategic decisions, and ultimately help drive the success of both IT systems and the organisations they support. Their role is indispensable in creating a seamless, sustainable, and efficient technological landscape.

In the end, architects do much more than create architectural diagrams—they are integral to shaping, guiding, and evolving the entire system to ensure it serves both present and future business needs.