top of page

DiiT

globeNew246x246_edited.png

EUROPE | UK | CANADA | AFRICA | UAE


UK Consulting

SOLUTIONS ARCHITECT

SELF STUDY AREA

Question: Who is a Solutions Architect (SA)?

Answer: 

A solution architect is a specialized role providing the groundwork for software development projects by tailoring IT solutions to specific business needs. A solutions architect also creates the overall technical vision for a specific solution to a business problem. A solutions architect creates the overall technical vision for a specific solution to a business problem. They design, describe, and manage the solution.

​

Solutions architecture requires both technical and interpersonal skills to design, describe, and manage solutions. They evaluate the existing environment and examine how different elements of business, information, and technology can be applied to solve a specific problem.

​

Question: What is the role of a Solutions Architect?

Answer:

Broadly speaking, a solution architect’s task is to evaluate all business requirements and come up with solutions in the form of products or services. SAs are not only in charge of finding answers but also of actively leading the technical vision to success.

​

The solution architecture discipline consists of several complex processes and sub-processes. Therefore, SAs plays a central role in an organization’s efforts to introduce and successfully implement new technology solutions.

​

First, SAs look closely at how the different elements of business, information, and technology can be applied to solve a specific problem.

​

Next, they propose a combination of building blocks that provides the best possible solution.

​

Question: What does a Solution Architect do on a Day-To-Day basis at work?

Answer:

Solution architect day-to-day work involves designing and providing recommendations and roadmaps for proposed solutions. It also involves debugging and creating performance analysis on implemented solutions.

​

They will also need to document and share best practices and advocate for process improvements. Other daily tasks include communication with teams, customers, and project stakeholders, as well as providing technical leadership throughout the project lifecycle.

​

Question: What are the responsibilities of a Solutions Architect on any project:

Answer: 

- The responsibilities of a solutions architect involve understanding potentially complex problems and finding all the possible solutions – accurately defining the issue and the requirement.

​

- In many cases, the business will not recognize the full extent of the challenge. It is the SA’s responsibility to set engagement objectives and scope, develop work plans and coordinate activities across multiple project workstreams.

​

- They will also need to assess the technical needs and capabilities during implementation. With analytical approach, solutions architects need to understand all of the technologies and topics related to a business to have a deep enough understanding to create a solution.

​

- Another responsibility of a solutions architect is to invest time into their craft; researching and understanding new technologies and solutions.

​

- Solutions Architects will also be in regular communication with IT specialists and enterprise architects to develop and implement complex technology and business solutions.

​

Q: Tools a Solutions Architect should be familiar with.

Answer: 

Solutions architects will use various tools to develop their designs and diagrams. These tools – such as the Lucid Chart, Draw iO, MS Visio, Gliffy, LeanIX.  EAM – help SA’s map design IT infrastructure, produce diagrams and facilitate the to-be architecture. Therefore, selecting the best solutions architect tool can be essential to the success of the solution.

​

The enterprise architecture tool is designed to help solutions architects manage the transformation and risk of an organization’s IT landscape. This tool leverages technology to make decisions quickly, map designs, and manage possible outcomes and risks of the chosen solution.

​

Q Framework an SA should be familiar with.

Answer: TOGAF

​

PRACTICE EXCERCISE

Scenario 1

A retail company are looking to migrate their date from an older system (legacy system) to a newer version. The Legacy system is called DWX version 1 while the newer version is called DWX version 2.

​

Your duty as a Solutions Architect is to engage with all the users of the system (the staffs within the business) and the Data Analyst to understand how the legacy system works and how the data will be migrated to the new system.

​

Find below the High Level description of migrating DWX v1 to DWX v2.

Step 1: Start

Step 2: User registers on DWX v1

Step 3: DWX v1 System accepts user registration

Step 4: Users data is stored in Minecraft Database.

Step 5: Data base transfers users data to Dot Digital system

Step 6: Dot Digital system transfers data from DWX v1 into SFTP file

Step 7: SFTP file migrates data unto new DWX v2

Step 8: End

​

Complete the Solution Design task above using any tool of your choice. Once completed, send your task for review using: info@diit-traininguk.co.uk

​

​

Scenario 2

A new company is looking to map out the Solution Design how its customers will be able to fill a form on their website, get customers marketing consent for new marketing campaigns and have the database stored on its cloud network for future campaigns.

​

Your duty as a Solutions Architect is to engage with all the users of the system (the staffs within the business) and the Data Analyst to understand how the system works.

​

Find below the High Level description of of the form on the website _ the cloud based data warehouse.

Step 1: Start

Step 2: New customer fills the form with their personal details (Name, Email, telephone, Address)

Step 3: New user selects their marketing preference (Email, Telephone Post)

Step 4: System updated users marketing preference

Step 5: DT Data warehouse stores new customer marketing preference. 

Step 6: The business sends our new marketing campaign to its customers

Step 7: Customers receives the marketing campaign via their selected preference

Step 8: End

​​​

Complete the Solution Design task above using any tool of your choice. Once completed, send your task for review using: info@diit-traininguk.co.uk

​

​

​

Scenario 3:

This a slightly more comprehensive scenario (attempt it as see here you get to)

​​

Scenario: E-Commerce Platform Upgrade

Objective: Design a solution for a growing e-commerce company transitioning from a monolithic architecture to a scalable, cloud-based microservices architecture.

​

Company Background:
An online retail company, ShopEase, currently operates a monolithic application hosted on a traditional on-premises server. With rapid business growth, the company is experiencing challenges such as:

  1. High Downtime: The platform struggles to handle high traffic during seasonal sales.

  2. Limited Scalability: Scaling the application requires expensive hardware upgrades.

  3. Maintenance Complexity: Deploying updates often causes delays and impacts the entire system.

 

Requirements for the Solution:

The company wants to modernize its platform with the following key requirements:

  1. Scalability: The platform should handle traffic spikes efficiently without downtime.

  2. Modularity: Implement a microservices architecture to make the system easier to maintain and update.

  3. Cloud Deployment: Migrate to a cloud provider (e.g., AWS, Azure, or GCP) for flexibility and cost optimization.

  4. Performance: Ensure low latency and a smooth user experience.

  5. Data Management: Use a secure, scalable database to store product, order, and customer data.

  6. Monitoring: Implement monitoring and logging to detect issues proactively.

 

Solution Architect’s Task:

You, as the Solution Architect, need to design a solution that addresses the above requirements. Your design should include:

  1. Cloud Platform Selection:

    • Which cloud platform (AWS, Azure, or GCP) will you choose? Justify your choice based on scalability, cost, and services offered.

  2. Microservices Architecture Design:

    • Identify the services to split from the monolithic app (e.g., user management, product catalog, order management, payment processing).

    • Decide on the communication protocol between services (e.g., REST APIs or gRPC).

  3. Database Solution:

    • Choose the appropriate database(s): relational (e.g., Amazon RDS, Azure SQL) or NoSQL (e.g., MongoDB, DynamoDB).

    • Ensure data consistency and security.

  4. Scalability and Performance:

    • Design an auto-scaling infrastructure to handle varying traffic.

    • Use a content delivery network (CDN) like CloudFront or Azure CDN to cache static content and reduce latency.

  5. DevOps and CI/CD Pipelines:

    • Recommend a CI/CD pipeline to automate deployments and minimize downtime.

    • Suggest tools like Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or AWS CodePipeline.

  6. Monitoring and Logging:

    • Select monitoring tools (e.g., AWS CloudWatch, Azure Monitor, or Datadog).

    • Ensure logs and metrics are collected to identify issues proactively.

  7. Security Measures:

    • Implement secure communication using HTTPS and encryption protocols.

    • Use IAM (Identity and Access Management) to control access to resources.

    • Protect sensitive user data with encryption and compliance with GDPR.

 

Deliverables:

  1. High-Level Architecture Diagram:

    • Show the relationship between microservices, databases, APIs, and cloud infrastructure.

  2. Cloud Service Justification:

    • Provide reasons for selecting specific cloud services.

  3. Scalability Plan:

    • Explain how the system will scale during high-traffic periods.

  4. Deployment Strategy:

    • Detail how updates will be deployed without affecting system availability.

  5. Cost Considerations:

    • Provide an estimate of cloud service costs and how they align with the company’s budget.

 

Practice Exercise for the Solution Architect:

  • Step 1: Research cloud platforms and services that align with the scenario requirements.

  • Step 2: Create a high-level architecture diagram using tools like Lucidchart or draw.io.

  • Step 3: Document the decisions you make for each part of the solution, including trade-offs and justifications.

  • Step 4: Present your solution in a meeting or a mock interview to demonstrate your ability to design and explain a practical solution.

This exercise is a comprehensive practice scenario for designing real-world solutions! Let me know if you’d like to dive deeper into any specific part.

​

​​

​

Complete the Solution Design task above using any tool of your choice. Once completed, send your task for review using: info@diit-traininguk.co.uk

​

If you require additional scenarios, kindly get in touch with your tutor.

​

​

​

bottom of page