New Trends, Cloud Services, and BODEA
Are the new trends finally here?
While I was reading the article, I sensed that the majority of current cloud service providers are already delivering the services, including Azure and AWS. To verify my assumption and validate the user experience, I researched the current SaaS architecture in Azure and AWS.
1. Mesh App and Service Architecture (MASA): MASA’s flexibility is paramount in handling the fast-paced evolution of Systems of Engagement. By utilizing Azure Kubernetes Service and Azure Service Fabric, organizations can form an adaptive system that supports the proliferation of engagement applications, enhancing both employee productivity and the speed of business processes.
2. API Platform: With the increasing number of SaaS applications and their integral role in business operations, managing interactions between these systems becomes critical. AWS API Management provides a secure and efficient way to handle the APIs that connect Systems of Record and Systems of Engagement. This harmonizes the interactions between these two types of systems, leading to better integration and cohesiveness.
3. Event Processing: The necessity of speed in business and the emphasis on employee productivity underscore the need for real-time event processing and analytics. Azure Event Grid and Amazon Kinesis Data Analytics. support rapid actions in response to real-time events, minimizing latency, and facilitating business operations.
An Enterprise is an outcome-sensitive organization. When integrating these trends, it’s crucial to have a clear understanding of the expected business outcomes, whether it’s increasing operational efficiency, improving customer experiences, or enabling new revenue streams: Business Outcome Driven Enterprise Architecture.
Finally, I ask myself as a technology solution architect “What skills do I still need to develop to deliver ideas that will lead to these holistic and tangible business capabilities?” This article indicates that I have a considerable amount of work ahead of me, which I agree with.
Top Three Skills that I need to improve:
1. Technical Skills (Hard Skills): Solution and technology architects need a solid foundation of technical skills. These include proficiency in areas such as business architecture, solutions architecture, design and integrations, cloud solutions, infrastructure, networking, and security.
2. Communication Skills (Soft Skills): The article highlights the importance of soft skills, particularly communication skills, for solutions and technology architects. These professionals need to be able to articulate complex technical concepts clearly to different stakeholders. They also need skills like leadership, collaboration, influencing, and presentation skills to drive project success. Soft skills such as creativity, verbal communication, and relationship management also enhance their contribution to agile team efforts.
3. Strategic and Business Skills: While being heavily technical, the role of a solutions and technology architect also requires strategic thinking and an understanding of business processes. The ability to align technical solutions with business goals is key. Skills like business process understanding, planning, and resourcing are essential.
To my fellow Solution Architect; “I do not feel that I have reached my destination yet. But I forget those things that are behind me, and I strive to achieve what is ahead.”