2013: The Year of the Cloud Architect update from November 2012

Personality and Communication. This is probably one of the first traits that’s gauged during an interview or conversation. Great communicators make great architects. That’s not all there is to it, of course. Still, the ability to translate deeply technical conversation into intelligent business-level discussion is very valuable. Architects often act as the knowledge liaison between vendors, technical experts, engineer, managers and executives.  

Virtualization Design. From a technology perspective, this is a big field. At this point in the virtualization conversation, we’re not just talking about server virtualization. Although it’s an important part, other technologies will have an effect on the data center as well. Newer platforms such as user, application and desktop virtualization are helping shape how high-density equipment goes into a data center. Good architects will understand the virtualization landscape, underlying requirements and the long-term goals of a given organization. This way, the architect can put all of the pieces together to make a more efficient data center environment.  

Cloud and Distributed Computing. Much like virtualization, cloud computing comes as new territory for a typical data center. WAN-based technologies and distributed computing have been important for some time, but more organizations jumping on the bandwagon than ever before. There is more need for distributed data delivery, cloud services stemming from a data center, and bandwidth for all of this to grow. Architects need to know how WAN technologies play a role in data center design and how a given organization can best utilize their resources. Whether a services platform is being designed or a customer is requesting a site-to-site link – the architect should be able to speak intelligently on how the data center and the cloud work together for maximum efficiency.

Data Center Design and Management. Outside of mastering all the above technologies, data center architects still need to know the intricacies of the typical data center. So, knowledge around power, cooling, space, rack configurations, hot/cold aisle control, physical security and other vital data center functions is still very important. The best architects are able to couple this knowledge with all of these technologies.

Disaster Recovery. A big request from many organizations, recently, has revolved around disaster recovery and business continuity. In combining data center services, cloud computing and virtualization, DR services can be a very lucrative offering. More environments are creating SLAs and direct services around a customized DR solution. Hot, warm and cold sites are becoming less expensive and more manageable. The trick is designing this with the cloud, virtualization and a very distributed environment in mind. A data center cloud architect will be able to see the big picture and understand how all of these technologies play together to create a solid DR solution.