Technical Architect

What is it?

A Technical Architect works with the overall behaviour of the infrastructure of various different things, such as the technical environment, the software environment, as well as the networking environment that connects a company's various infrastructures.  A Technical Architect is in charge of making sure that a company's needs in all of these realms are anticipated, and planned out in advance of the company having to implement changes to their various infrastructures.

How is IT involved?

A Technical Architect's primary concern is the proper functioning of the Information Technology of a company or system.  Apart from communications, and requiring the use of a computer for the proper maintenance and upkeep of various infrastructures, a Technical Architect also needs to be intimately familiar with the Technology needs of their organization, software, hardware, and network.

Where can I see it?

A Technical Architect is unique in that most of the work they do is "behind the scenes."  If a Technical Architect is performing well at their job, all functions and systems of that company will be functioning at peak efficiency in communications, system performance, and network structure.

A good example of Technical Architecture at work is at an internet service provider.  A typical ISP needs to be concerned with all of their infrastructures in order to keep things running smoothly.  If their network is unable to handle all the traffic their clients request, people will notice e-mail not getting through in a timely fashion, slow requests for web pages, and many phone calls from angry customers.  A great Technical Architect helps to alleviate these problems by making sure the computers which do the work and the ISP are up to date, functioning perfectly, have the necessary software and hardware to do the job they need to do, and are properly networked to handle everything a customer needs.

How can I be a part of it?

A Technical Architect is excited about upcoming trends in information technology, as well as the newest hardware and software available.  A Technical Architect is also well trained in math, networking, and communications.  People who enjoy the small details as well as those who are interested in the overall structures of computing should look into being a Technical Architect.

What else might I like?

Technical Architects work closely with Data Network Designers, Security Analysts, and Systems Analysts

Where can I find out more?

Wikipedia:  Technical Architecture

The role of the Software Architect