Detailed Summary of the Video Transcription
Solutions Architect and Their Role
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What is Solutions Architecture?
- The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF) defines architecture as the structure of components, their inter-relationships, and the principles/guidelines governing their design and evolution.
- A Solutions Architect is a person who:
- Creates an architectural vision
- Defines the technical components and their inter-relationships to solve business needs
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Why do Businesses Need a Solutions Architect?
- Businesses want to achieve growth, and they need Architects and Technologists to make the right decisions about technology and frameworks to enable business growth.
- Organizations need Solutions Architects to:
- Coordinate and make informed decisions about technological and process transformations
- Lower or mitigate risks by diving deep into the architecture and solving/mitigating risks
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What do Solutions Architects Do?
- They understand business objectives and turn them into an architectural vision.
- They establish the technical capabilities needed to deliver the design.
- They drive the build process by partnering with product and development teams.
- They inspect the architecture iteratively, identify improvement targets, and validate solutions.
- They use the AWS Well-Architected Framework to assess the architecture across six pillars.
Personas of a Solutions Architect
The four common personas that Solutions Architects embody are:
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Inventor Solutions Architect
- Deep conviction for the organization's vision
- Invent new experiences, ways of working, and living
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Entrepreneur Solutions Architect
- Deep conviction for the organization's mission
- Make the impossible possible
- Share learnings beyond their immediate team/organization
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Composer Solutions Architect
- Ask "how does this work?" and "how does it really work?"
- Break down complex tasks and discover/repackage existing patterns
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Advocate Solutions Architect
- Empathize with users, supporters, and personnel
- Drive simplicity, efficiency, and effectiveness
Key Skills for a Solutions Architect
The three key skills for a Solutions Architect are:
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Technical Skills
- Breadth and depth of technical knowledge
- Flexibility and willingness to learn new skills
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Business Skills
- Understanding how the business makes money
- Navigating the organizational structure
- Comprehending corporate finance and constraints
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Soft Skills
- Player-coach: Learn, build, and teach
- Effective communication
- Curiosity, courage, and compassion
Tools to Get Started
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Learning
- Use AWS Skill Builder for free courses
- Earn AWS Certification (Solution Architect Associate, Solution Architect Professional)
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Building
- Explore the AWS Solutions Library for pre-built and vetted solutions
- Leverage the AWS Well-Architected Framework to assess your architecture
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Teaching
- Contribute to AWS Repost by answering questions
- Consider becoming an AWS Hero to have an outsized impact through teaching