Main Responsibilities and Required Skills for Infrastructure Architect
An Infrastructure Architect is a professional responsible for designing and managing the overall technical architecture of an organization's IT infrastructure, including hardware, software, and communication systems. They lead infrastructure architect-network and security plan and determine the technological architecture that best meets the business needs. In this blog post we describe the primary responsibilities and the most in-demand hard and soft skills for Infrastructure Architects.
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Main Responsibilities of Infrastructure Architect
The following list describes the typical responsibilities of an Infrastructure Architect:
Absorb
Absorb and implement new technical cloud solutions.
Analyze
Analyze current network environment and requirements for target network (voice and data).
Analyze the viability of the solution to meet program timeline, budget and quality.
Anticipate
Anticipate trends and responds by implementing appropriate changes.
Apply
Apply and integrate emerging technological trends to new and existing systems architecture.
Apply Architectural Methods and Techniques.
Apply new and innovative ideas to old or new problems.
Architect
Architect and deploy security to ensure endpoints are protected.
Architect, evolve, and maintain the infrastructure to enable the full DevOps cycle.
Articulate
Articulate solutions at both a technical level and business level.
Assist in
Assist in managing the annual capital and expense budget required to maintain technology life-cycle.
Assist in the management of projects using our project management methodology.
Author
Author and review documentation, including technical diagrams.
Build
Build and maintains complex system architectures.
Coach
Coach and mentor more junior infrastructure architects.
Collaborate
Collaborate cross functionally with managers, architects and engineers to align on decisions.
Collaborate with development and delivery stakeholders to ensure shared understanding.
Collaborate with the Fidelity International Architecture team on various projects and assignments.
Collect
Collect and analyze customer needs.
Collect application requirements and design secure pipelines and delivery environments.
Communicate
Communicate abstract concepts in simple terms.
Communicate complicated technical concepts effectively to a broad group of stakeholders.
Complete
Complete required deliverables in alignment with project and business timelines.
Complete the cost grid and the capacity sheet.
Conduct
Conduct architectural lunch and learns to disseminate knowledge.
Conduct needs, capacity and performance analyses, and assess the effort require to complete projects.
Conduct requirement, capacity, and performance analyses and evaluate implementation efforts.
Contribute to
Contribute and maintain cloud governance framework (Policies, Standards, Processes and Guidelines).
Contribute in decisions of technical and operational feasibility of solutions.
Contribute to overall design of release and deployment process.
Contribute to story refinement / defining requirements.
Contribute to the estimation of tasks for inclusion in project planning.
Contribute to the resolution of complex problems.
Coordinate
Coordinate additions / modifications to the infrastructure.
Coordinate architect resources on all sized projects to develop the infrastructure architecture.
Create
Create high- and low-level design diagrams, build standards and technical specifications.
Create, own and maintain necessary AWS designs and supporting logical diagrams.
Create tactical plans for transitioning to the cloud.
Create the required artefacts (design document, diagrams, build book, etc..).
Define
Define end-to-end solutions for IT change.
Define enterprise design patterns to achieve the desired levels of both reliability and scalability.
Define high-level migration plans to address gaps between current and future state.
Define reference and implementation architectures.
Define site survey criteria to meet customer needs based on best practice.
Deliver
Deliver additional network security designs and solutions to business and risk management partners.
Design
Design and implement a scalable and reliable data infrastructure pipeline.
Design and implement robust and secure information systems that support an enterprise infrastructure.
Design and Implement the infrastructure to support the solution.
Design application infrastructure integration framework, outline best practices and standards.
Design technology solutions required to advance projects under your responsibility.
Design the Migration Plan solution.
Determine
Determine the technological architecture that best meets the business needs stated by the client.
Develop
Develop and execute communication and education plan for infrastructure architecture.
Develop and maintain current and planned state architectural blueprints.
Develop and maintain strong working relationships with peers across the T&O organization.
Develop an expertise in the solutions / products used by the company.
Develop deep understanding of existing architecture and deployment.
Develop proof-of-concept prototypes and initial implementation models.
Develop strategic plans for infra testing efforts covering app migration.
Develop Transition Architecture documents.
Document
Document changes and procedures affecting the computer equipment.
Document the selected solution and integrate it into the standard documentation.
Drive
Drive cloud adoption effort and institutionalize best practices.
Drive implementation of high availability and disaster recovery methodologies.
Drive solutions to issues encountered during fulfillment phase of initiatives.
Drive team's adoption of new tools and techniques.
Embrace
Embrace an Infrastructure as Code approach to infrastructure provisioning.
Engage
Engage as part of our global Professional Services Community to learn and share you expertise.
Ensure
Ensure all aspects of security are covered.
Ensure compliance with regulatory and cyber security requirements.
Ensure documentation of entire architecture design and evaluation work.
Ensure proposed tools interoperate to deliver the desired functionality at the planned cost.
Ensure solutions are well engineered, operable, maintainable, and delivered on schedule.
Ensure that chosen technology is updated or replaced, as needed.
Ensure the relevance and proper operation of the proposed solutions.
Ensure usage of Agile methodologies and DevOps framework.
Establish
Establish governance for instance selection model for Azure virtual machines and native services.
Establish working relationships with strategic and boutique technology providers.
Evaluate
Evaluate and builds a network of third-party suppliers.
Evaluate designs and experience with migration of virtual machines.
Evaluate new and emerging technologies for potential suitability in the company s environment.
Evangelize
Evangelize standardized process and framework across services where relevant.
Facilitate
Facilitate and capture lessons learned from projects to update methodologies and assets.
Follow
Follow life-cycle oriented processes and procedures.
Generate
Generate alerts and trend reporting.
Grow
Grow the Infrastructure Architecture and Services team and build our cloud capability.
Help
Help develop operational criteria, as well as testing and implementation strategies.
Help the team adopt new technologies on an ongoing basis, to solve complex problems.
Help with PaaS deployments as needed.
Identify
Identify and develop operational plans across technologies and / or across systems.
Identify technical issues & risks and define mitigation options and remediation approach.
Identify and access management design and implementation (OIDC, OAuth2, AD, AAD, FIDO2).
Identify, propose and provide merits and risks analysis for solution alternatives to problems.
Implement
Implement clients' technical strategy.
Improve
Improve quality practices across functional and non-functional testing.
Interact with
Interact with various teams to gather the required information.
Interface with
Interface with the client's highest technical executives (e.g., at the CXO level).
Interface with Product teams and drive the development of custom solutions.
Keep up to date on
Keep up to date on state of the art SDN and SDDC technologies and solutions.
Lead
Lead and facilitate the design of technology projects and applications.
Lead and / or contribute to technical design sessions.
Lead client whiteboard design sessions.
Lead design process for network connectivity and resource and data security in Azure.
Lead for developing and prioritizing operational requirements and implements solutions.
Lead Infrastructure Architect - Network and Security Plan.
Lead multiple engagements simultaneously.
Lead multiple projects with competing deadlines.
Lead root cause analysis of system failures and develop remediation plans to prevent future outages.
Lead the technology or application solution for multiple projects.
Maintain
Maintain and report on implementation status and changes to risks, estimates or schedule.
Maintain high level technical requirements and associated product documentation.
Maintain ownership of the design and architecture of the company's multi-cloud environment.
Manage
Manage architectural transformation.
Manage people and leads a team capable of delivering the desired business results.
Manage the technical architectural contract terms and conditions.
Monitor
Monitor industry trends and align existing and future infrastructure solution strategies.
Optimize
Optimize tools and processes for efficiency, cost, stability and developer productivity.
Oversee
Oversee, define and / or perform laboratory proofs of concept.
Participate
Participate in special projects and performs other duties as assigned.
Participate in the development efforts to bring automation into the network environment.
Participate in the development of our Cloud AWS strategy and support key program.
Participate in the identification and application of methodological solutions.
Participate in validation of new versions of Mulesoft software.
Perform
Perform and Balances tasks on multiple concurrent projects across multiple customers.
Perform and Balance tasks on multiple concurrent projects across multiple customers.
Perform cost and feasibility validation according to the established process.
Perform cross training and mentorship to other architects on emerging technologies.
Perform impact analysis of the change.
Perform on-site wireless surveys with Airmagnet.
Perform technology risk and service transition impact assessments.
Produce
Produce technology roadmaps in support of IT's vision and strategy.
Promote
Promote usage of standardized design patterns, hardware and software.
Promote the sharing of infrastructure and applications to reduce costs and improve information flow.
Provide
Provide assistance with business continuity and disaster recovery planning.
Provide consultancy on projects and ensure smooth transition to Operations teams.
Provide critical thinking, technical leadership to the program beginning at the idea creation stage.
Provide input into the preparation of business case.
Provide L3 support for all aspects of AWS infrastructure architecture, and tooling.
Provide onsite support while performing quality inspections.
Provide professional services (Design, Deployment, Troubleshooting, Assessment).
Provide remote technical support to contractors / network integrators in the field.
Provide subject matter expertise in CI-CD processes, determining methods and procedures.
Provide technical knowledge and capabilities as team member and individual contributor.
Provide the architectural leadership to support infrastructure projects for the organization.
Recognize
Recognize and plan areas of improvement within the existing technical environment.
Recommend
Recommend architectural standards for complex infrastructure based on standards.
Represent
Represent management with various stakeholders.
Research
Research and monitor industry trends and technologies to recommend technology direction.
Research, evaluate and select the right solutions from new and existing tools.
Review
Review and validate the BOM, assess client's requirements, and product's specifications / features.
Scope
Scope and oversee all Devops team build work.
Set
Set infrastructure standards and drive toward automation for cloud and on-premise environments.
Share
Share knowledge with other team members.
Stay abreast of
Stay abreast of new technologies as applicable to the City National Bank infrastructure environment.
Support
Support Abbott global data network operations support staff worldwide.
Support deep learning software engineers and GPU architects in their performance analysis efforts.
Support solutions implemented at the clients' sites.
Support the extended engineering team in troubleshooting Infrastructure code failures.
Take
Take assigned customers through Cloud Journey.
Take initiative to improve products, tools, and process commands.
Take over operational administration and engineering tasks when needed.
Train
Train and coach junior staff.
Troubleshoot
Troubleshoot mis-specified architectures and rapidly correct them.
Understand
Understand and balances the complete lifecycle of technical choices.
Understand commercial impacts of decisions.
Understand datacenter operations and infrastructure implementation methodologies.
Understand requirements and follow documentation thoroughly to deploy lab environments.
Understand the mission of the business line.
Understand the overall 'picture' in most situations.
Update
Update on the status of any ongoing projects or issues.
Work
Work on multiple projects for the same customer.
Work with business and development teams to recommend processes or system design enhancements.
Work with diverse technologies, projects, clients and sectors.
Work with end-client to develop Umbrella deployment strategy, template & documentation.
Work with Program Managers & Group Managers and assists in the development of the program roadmap.
Work with stakeholders to derive and communicate timeline expectations for deliverables.
Work with the various company departments to develop their RACI models for cloud operations.
Write
Write tutorials and give training.
Most In-demand Hard Skills
The following list describes the most required technical skills of an Infrastructure Architect:
Storage
Networking
Linux
Cloud
Vmware
IBM
Security
Designing
Virtualization
Windows
Oracle
Puppet
Badges
Data Center
Azure Cloud Certifications
Compute
Unix Fundamentals
Most In-demand Soft Skills
The following list describes the most required soft skills of an Infrastructure Architect:
Written and oral communication skills
Leadership
Problem-solving attitude
Analytical ability
Interpersonal skills
Enthusiastic
Detail-oriented
Focused
Keen to learn
Flexible
Organizational capacity
Think strategically about business, product, and technical challenges
