What is a network architect?
The network architect is vital to an organization’s sustainability within their industry’s vertical. A network architect is one of many architects that an organization has.
Here’s my twist on the definition of the network architect:
Before diving into what a network architect does in an organization, a brief articulation of other architects that you’ll find in an organization will help to discern the difference from that of a network architect. Each has unique technical skills to address business needs, goals, and complexity. Moreover, there will be some overlap in tasks, deliverables to an organization, responsibilities, and maybe even KPIs.
KPIs
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are used to evaluate the success of an organization/team or a particular activity they are engaged in.
Solutions architects
Solution architects evaluate the requirements from the line of business (LoB) and determine what solution(s), whether it be products or services, can be used to meet or fulfill those requirements.
They design, describe, and manage the solution. This includes the networking (fabric) aspects, the storage aspect, database systems, security, and the overall scheme that will be deployed. In some ways, the solutions architect (SA) bridges a business problem and the technology solution. Additionally, the SA outlines each of the desideratum and the phases to make that solution work, after which they must confer with the other architects in the organization to validate the design feasibility.
To some degree, SAs create the overall technical vision for a specific solution to a (specific) business problem. I say to some degree because an organization’s overall IT/technical vision comes from the Chief Technical Officer (CTO).
Storage architects
A storage architect builds central database systems; one such system is a Configuration Management Database (CMDB), which holds the most crucial business information for an organization. Some crucial information includes (but is not limited to) finance, compliance, accounting, and human resources.
They typically design based on the SA’s findings, install new data storage systems using different software and various hardware, liaise with IT experts, and identify storage requirements to meet the needs of business units.
Examples of storage architects’ designs include the following:
- FC zoning
- SAN and vSAN
- NAS, NFS, and SMB shares
Some routine operations can include analyzing data, potential issues, frequency of updates, maintenance, and hardware/software Service Level Agreements (SLAs). Storage architects also need to communicate critical information to clients (internal or external) or an organization’s management team.
The role of a storage architect can vary, depending on the organization itself and what they’re looking for in the architect, but the storage architect’s main task is to design a stable, reliable, and resilient storage architecture.
Database architects
A database architect’s (DBA’s) function is to understand an organization’s main needs for data and its current data infrastructure. DBAs in some respects work closely with storage architects.
After taking the needs of an organization and conversing with the SA (and other stakeholders), the DBA analyzes the organization’s priorities and goals, assesses whether the current data infrastructure is design-feasible, and then determines where changes should and must be made.
They must design the database’s infrastructure to ensure that it’s scalable, secure, reliable, and, like other designs, cost-effective.
Depending on a country’s boundaries and compliances, DBAs must also ensure that a database meets any regulations and standards, especially when dealing with sensitive data.
Enterprise architects
An enterprise architect (EA) is somewhat similar to an SA. While the SA is charged with defining the correct services/infrastructure to meet the BU’s needs, the EA is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of those services/infrastructure.
They’re also responsible for improving and upgrading enterprise services (e.g., CRMs, HRMs, and PoS systems), software, and hardware.
Like the SA, EAs must have a wide view and scope (vision) of what’s happening within an organization, as well as being abreast of new trends and technologies, and any software services or hardware that might improve business processes.
Cloud architects
As you may have guessed, a cloud architect is involved with cloud computing. Their function is to oversee an organization’s cloud adoption strategy. Cloud architects oversee application architecture and deployment in cloud environments, including the public cloud, private cloud, and hybrid cloud. Additionally, they act as consultants to their organization and also need to stay abreast of the latest trends and issues (https://www.techtarget.com/searchcloudcomputing/definition/cloud-architect).
Cloud architects must understand application owners’ and application developers’ needs and requirements. Then, they must survey how to closely replicate it, if possible, in a cloud-centric environment based on what’s already allocated and consumed on-premises. The premises can be an organization’s leased space, owned property, or IT setup, solely owned by that organization, which would then be migrated.
In all cases, the cloud architect has to determine whether the application (workload) fits into one of Gartner’s five Rs of migrating applications into the cloud (Migrating Applications to the Cloud: Rehost, Refactor, Revise, Rebuild, or Replace?, available at https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/1485116)
The following diagram is a cloud migration strategy currently used by AWS, based on Gartner’s original five Rs:
Figure 1.1 – AWS’s version of Gartner’s five Rs of cloud migration strategies (source: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/enterprise-strategy/new-possibilities-seven-strategies-to-accelerate-your-application-migration-to-aws/)
Technical architects
While other architects may be broad(er) in scope, technical architects (TAs) are more specific. They take the most hands-on approach during the execution of IT projects and focus mainly on a single implementation for a specific domain that they’re, technically, inclined for. An example would be a TA who is extremely familiar with SAP, MongoDB, Python, or even Cisco.
Because of this, TAs produce best practice strategies utilized by an organization, which, in most cases, are used by other IT architects during their development and strategy sessions for their own solutions.
Out of all the IT architects, TAs are the closest to an organization’s end user. Thus, they have to ensure that the technology is not only delivered on time but is fully functional for the end user (https://rb.gy/uw31fb).
Chief architects
Depending on the organization, the chief architect (CA) may oversee and coordinate the efforts of other technology-specific architects, including the chief security architect, the chief data architect, the chief mobile architect, and the chief cloud architect.
A CA is primarily a leader and communicator. They need to understand and influence the business strategy and lead the development of an architecture strategy that supports and enables that strategy (https://www.redhat.com/architect/what-is-chief-architect). A CA can also be referred to as an EA, as defined previously.
In addition, there are other architect roles, such as the following:
- Application
- Migration
- Security
- Automation
- Site Reliability Engineer (SRE)
- Software
The role of every architect in IT is directly related to the added complexities of information technology, and the need for a strategic top-down approach to the management of shared data and processes.
There can be varying degrees of overlap with some or all of these IT architects in an organization. Many are structured differently when it comes to who owns what, who’s in charge, or who has the last say and signs things off.
Relatively speaking from my experience, this is what I came across from a hierarchy perspective:
Figure 1.2 – The IT architect hierarchy in an organization
As I said before, there are not only overlaps in job function and responsibility but also overlaps when it comes to the roles within an organization, including business-centric, operations-centric, or even vendor and application-centric roles.
In general, the role of an IT architect is to ensure that an organization’s IT systems are aligned with its business objectives and able to support its operations effectively.
Network architects
A network architect is mainly responsible for designing, managing, and implementing an organization’s data communication networks, including the computer networks that support their IT systems, storage networks, and the internet edge. This means the network architect is responsible for the following:
- Designing local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), and intranets for organizations
- Designing the data and storage area networks (SANs)
- Both the hardware and software components of a network
- The policies and procedures that govern its use
While other IT architects may have a more general focus and be responsible for designing and implementing the overall IT infrastructure of an organization, a network architect must be fully embedded and have the required knowledge of many different network technologies (platforms) related to network routing and switching, networking protocols, network hardware and software, and the latest trends.
The network architect does overlap with the other architects mentioned. They also need to fully understand a business’s operations and its operating model, which is discussed in Chapter 4. It’s prudent to say network architects do not operate in siloes and should be a part of any meeting that requires a change, addition/removal, request, or ideation for an organization’s network (fabric) infrastructure.
Now that we have a general overview of the various architects in an IT organization, let’s talk more in depth about the topic this book is dedicated to, the network architect.