What is a cloud architect?

Working with and in the cloud is becoming in­creas­ingly vital for busi­nesses. A cloud architect plans, im­ple­ments and monitors a company’s cloud in­fra­struc­ture. In addition to extensive technical know-how, cloud ar­chi­tects must excel in teamwork and com­mu­nic­a­tion skills to succeed in this dynamic field.

What does a cloud architect do?

Cloud computing is now the ideal solution for modern busi­nesses when it comes to op­tim­ising workflows and processes while also ac­count­ing for costs and resources. From server structure to software and storage space to databases, numerous services can be made available to teams via the cloud. However, the myriad pos­sib­il­it­ies presented by cloud computing also add a set of chal­lenges. The success of the cloud computing approach is con­tin­gent upon the careful design and im­ple­ment­a­tion of an in­di­vidu­al­ised cloud ar­chi­tec­ture, which is tailored to the company in question. A cloud architect is re­spons­ible for planning, setting up and mon­it­or­ing the cloud in­fra­struc­ture of a business.

What fields are cloud ar­chi­tects active in?

The cloud ar­chi­tec­ture en­com­passes different aspects of cloud computing. One essential area that falls under the re­spons­ib­il­ity of cloud ar­chi­tects is the actual IT in­fra­struc­ture. Through the internet or an intranet, diverse services are provided to companies. Service providers typically offer the following key services:

• In­fra­struc­ture as a Service (IaaS): With In­fra­struc­ture as a Service (IaaS), computer hardware is made available via the cloud. This primarily en­com­passes virtual machines and storage, which can be utilised by in­di­vidu­al users or entire teams.
• Platform as a Service (PaaS): Platform as a Service (PaaS) provides runtime and pro­gram­ming en­vir­on­ments. Users can develop and run their own ap­plic­a­tions in these en­vir­on­ments.
• Software as a Service (SaaS): Software as a Service (SaaS) provides on-demand access to in­di­vidu­al programs or complete ap­plic­a­tion col­lec­tions. They don’t need to be installed and main­tained on each in­di­vidu­al computer.

Cloud ar­chi­tects are re­spons­ible for the selection and im­ple­ment­a­tion of valuable service models offered by cloud computing. In addition to setting up the cloud in­fra­struc­ture, cloud ar­chi­tec­ture also involves strategising the avail­ab­il­ity of services to different stake­hold­ers. The most commonly employed delivery models in this context are:

• Public Cloud: In a public cloud, most or all of the services are delivered by one service provider to different customers and clients.
• Private Cloud: Access rights to a private cloud reside with the company. As a rule, the company is also re­spons­ible for the main­ten­ance.
• Hybrid Cloud: A hybrid cloud combines the features of a public cloud and private cloud. The decision as to which services are to be obtained privately and which publicly is made by the cloud architect in con­sulta­tion with the company.

Other models are also possible.

What are the tasks of a cloud architect?

To ensure that a cloud ar­chi­tec­ture is an optimal fit for a company, cloud ar­chi­tects must consider many different factors. Their most important tasks include:

Planning

The ef­fect­ive­ness of a cloud solution greatly depends on thorough planning. As such, a cloud architect conducts a com­pre­hens­ive needs analysis be­fore­hand. From this analysis, they derive a portfolio of necessary services. This analysis en­com­passes factors such as access rights, ca­pa­cit­ies, in­ter­faces, and migration con­sid­er­a­tions. Ad­di­tion­ally, cloud ar­chi­tects address legal issues that may arise for companies, ensuring that they are clarified prior to the actual im­ple­ment­a­tion.

Selection

Once the re­quire­ments have been ad­equately defined, the cloud architect proceeds to select the necessary services. Given the multitude of providers offering various tech­no­lo­gies, the architect evaluates and considers solutions that best align with the company’s needs in terms of price and func­tion­al­ity.

Im­ple­ment­a­tion

During the im­ple­ment­a­tion phase, the cloud architect col­lab­or­ates closely with both de­velopers and ad­min­is­trat­ors within the company. It’s highly re­com­men­ded to establish col­lab­or­at­ive solutions as early as the planning stage. In addition to im­ple­ment­a­tion, the architect also handles con­fig­ur­a­tion and potential migration of existing ap­plic­a­tions, ensuring a smooth trans­ition to the cloud en­vir­on­ment.

Security and per­form­ance

A cloud architect needs to ensure that a security structure is in place that protects the company’s networks and sensitive data. The cloud architect also takes re­spons­ib­il­ity for the seamless func­tion­al­ity and optimal co­ordin­a­tion of the selected cloud solutions.

De­vel­op­ment

Under certain cir­cum­stances, it may be necessary to redevelop special ap­plic­a­tions for the in­di­vidu­al needs of a company. The cloud architect defines the company’s needs and works closely with the de­vel­op­ment team.

Training

To ensure that employees can fully leverage the newly im­ple­men­ted in­fra­struc­ture, cloud ar­chi­tects play a crucial role in con­duct­ing training sessions and providing guidance to users.

Mon­it­or­ing

Once the cloud solution has been set up and is being actively used, the cloud architect performs regular system checks. By actively mon­it­or­ing the in­fra­struc­ture, the architect can swiftly identify and address any vul­ner­ab­il­it­ies or issues that may arise. Ad­di­tion­ally, the architect stay up to date with technical in­nov­a­tions and in­cor­por­ates them into the in­fra­struc­ture as needed.

What qualities should a cloud architect have?

There are various qual­i­fic­a­tions and skills that char­ac­ter­ise a good cloud architect. The following re­quire­ments and char­ac­ter­ist­ics are par­tic­u­larly important:

• Technical com­pet­en­cies: A suc­cess­ful career as a cloud architect relies heavily on having extensive technical knowledge. This en­com­passes a deep un­der­stand­ing of IT systems, de­vel­op­ment meth­od­o­lo­gies and cloud tech­no­lo­gies. Having prior ex­per­i­ence in de­vel­op­ment or ad­min­is­tra­tion is ad­vant­age­ous. Moreover, most companies require a degree or formal training in computer science or in­form­a­tion tech­no­logy. Ad­di­tion­ally, many cloud solution providers offer cer­ti­fic­a­tions that validate an in­di­vidu­al’s com­pre­hens­ive knowledge in the field.
• Future-oriented working: When planning extensive cloud struc­tures, a cloud architect must always take into account future de­vel­op­ments. They should therefore have an interest in new technical trends and pos­sib­il­it­ies in order to be able to implement them into an existing system.
• Teamwork and com­mu­nic­a­tion skills: Although a cloud architect must be able to plan in­de­pend­ently, co­oper­a­tion with other employees is necessary for im­ple­ment­a­tion. Effective col­lab­or­a­tion and strong com­mu­nic­a­tion skills are crucial for the success of cloud solutions, whether it involves ad­min­is­trat­ors, de­velopers or end users. The ability to work seam­lessly as a team and engage in open, clear com­mu­nic­a­tion ensures that plans are ef­fect­ively executed and goals are achieved. This is par­tic­u­larly important when future users may not possess extensive technical expertise.
• Abstract thinking and time man­age­ment: During the planning phase, cloud ar­chi­tects must demon­strate foresight and ima­gin­a­tion. It’s also important for them to exercise good time man­age­ment so that companies feel confident about the planning process of their new in­fra­struc­ture.