A Comprehensive Guide to Become An Enterprise Architect

Enterprise architects play a crucial role in preserving and maintaining an organization’s IT networks and services, enabling businesses to thrive in the miscellaneous world of software development and architecture. If you are looking forward to developing or elevating your career in Information Technology (IT), an enterprise architect might be a brilliant option for you! 

This article will help you understand ‘What is an enterprise architect’, thereby giving you an insight into the enterprise architect job role and responsibilities, key skills and qualifications required, the salary that you can make with this role, and the top enterprise architect certifications to advance your career.

What is an enterprise architect?

An enterprise architect is an IT professional who is primarily responsible for aligning the IT system and strategy of an enterprise with the business goals and objectives. By analyzing, designing, implementing, and monitoring appropriate digital infrastructure in an organization, the enterprise architect assists businesses in thriving in the complex and competitive IT landscape. 

Enterprise architect job role and responsibilities

Enterprise architects (EAs) possess an exceeding understanding of the business objectives, capabilities, and potential of an organization. They perform the prime task of assessing the internal and external factors affecting the business of an organization, thereby strategically managing and modifying the old legacy systems, replacing outdated software, and initiating software migration to extend support to every business department of the organization.

The key responsibilities of an enterprise architect are as follows:

• Optimizing IT systems and implementing comprehensive, innovative IT solutions to drive innovation in business.
• Identifying and evaluating IT-related business opportunities and risks.
• Advising on the digital architecture landscape of the enterprise with a focus on technology, information, data security, and integration.
• Assessing and improving the existing IT systems to address and mitigate IT risks.
• Updating and upgrading the existing applications to ensure legal compliance.
• Keeping the IT strategies and the IT budget aligned.
• Formulating the overall IT solution strategies and roadmaps.
• Presenting necessary reports to company leaders, managers, and supervisors.

Enterprise architect skills and qualifications

The enterprise architect skills that you need to develop and enhance to master this job role are:

• You should be able to identify IT issues and challenges that might affect the business of an organization and come up with solutions to resolve such problems.
• You should possess robust communication skills, both written and verbal so that you can efficiently communicate with stakeholders and get their approval to implement your proposed solutions.
• You should be capable of transforming proposed solutions into reality by means of proper testing, development, and deployment.
• You should be able to manage every phase of the solution lifecycle.
• You should be able to demonstrate strong leadership so that you can facilitate the completion of IT tasks within set times.
• You should possess eloquent knowledge of solution architecture frameworks, patterns, and IT best practices to stimulate development and innovation in business.

Apart from focussing on developing the aforementioned skills, you must attain the necessary enterprise architect qualifications to get selected for the role. Enterprise architects encompass job roles associated with various backgrounds, such as IT specialists, business analysts, consultants, or leadership. As such, the qualification requirements for EAs also vary based on the background and specified job role. The core qualifications that EAs need include:

• At least 7 years of analysis experience.
• A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in computer science, information technology, or related field.
• Knowledge and experience in at least one of the business aspects, such as engineering, manufacturing, planning, etc.

Enterprise architect salary

The salary expectations of EAs highly depend upon their skills, qualifications, and of course, certifications. The average salary for an EA ranges from $96,000 to $175,000, with around $99,375 for entry-level positions and around $157,064 for senior positions. In addition to skills, qualifications, and certifications, negotiation is a factor that determines your salary as an enterprise architect.

Also read: Ultimate Guide to Data Scientist: Job Description, Responsibilities, Skills, Salary, and Certifications

Top enterprise architect certifications

While you can opt to get more than one certification to secure your career as an enterprise architect, there are certain certifications that are found to hold high significance for this job role. Some of the top enterprise architect certifications are:

• Systems Engineering Professional Certification
• The Open Group Architectural Framework (TOGAF)
• Certified Information Technology Architect (IASA)
• Associate Certified Enterprise Architect (ACEA) Green Belt Program
• LeanIX Academy

Have you got the necessary skills, qualifications, experience, and certifications to master your career in the field of enterprise architecture? Then, become a Denkenite today and explore the job roles that closely align with your career goals.