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If you’re involved in the tech industry you’ve probably heard the term “tech architecture” thrown around. But what is tech architecture, exactly? In this blog post, we’ll explore the definition of tech architecture and some of its key components.
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Definition of Tech Architecture
Technical architecture is the structure of components in a system and their relationships. In software development, it describes the design of software applications and databases. Technical architects also consider non-functional requirements when designing systems, such as performance, security, and scalability.
Components of Tech Architecture
Technical architecture is the high level design of a system. It is the process of how a system is planned, structured, and implemented. The main goal of technical architecture is to ensure that a system meets all the technical requirements of the user. There are three main components to technical architecture: application design, database design, and hardware design.
Technical Strategy
A technical architecture is a conceptual model that defines the system components and how they interact to perform the desired functionality. It is a blueprint of the technical aspects of a solution and provides a shared understanding of the system for all stakeholders. It includes hardware, software, processes, interfaces, and data.
The purpose of a technical architecture is to provide a structure for the system that can be used to make decisions about technology and solutions. It should be flexible enough to accommodate change while still providing enough guidance to ensure that the overall system remains consistent.
A technical architecture should be high level and not get into too much detail about specific solutions. It should be technology agnostic and not favor any one vendor or solution. The focus should be on the functionality that needs to be implemented and how it can be done in a way that is maintainable, scalable, and reliable.
There are many factors to consider when designing a technical architecture, such as performance, security, scalability, availability, recoverability, manageability, interoperability, and so on. The goal is to find a balance between all of these factors that meets the needs of the business while also being achievable with available resources.
Technical Standards
There are multiple types of technical standards that make up the architecture of a system. Technical standards can be defined as a set of norms, rules, and criteria that dictate how certain parts of a system should be designed and built. In the context of information technology, these standards typically pertain to aspects such as security, interoperability, performance, and so on.
Below are some examples of common technical standards:
-Security: Security standards help ensure that a system is secure against various types of threats. Common security standards include the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF).
-Interoperability: Interoperability standards define how different components of a system can work together. A well-known example is the TCP/IP suite, which is used to govern how computers communicate with each other on the Internet.
-Performance: Performance standards establish minimum acceptable levels for various performance-related metrics, such as response time, throughput, etc. One commonly used performance standard is Service Level Agreement (SLA), which specifies targets for uptime and other parameters.
There are many other types of technical standards in addition to the ones listed above. Ultimately, the specific set of standards that an organization chooses to adopt will depend on its particular needs and requirements.
Technical Roadmap
The technical roadmap is a tool that maps out the direction of the technology over time. roadmap aligns technology initiatives with business goals to create a strategic plan for moving forward. It visualizes where the company is headed and tracks progress along the way. The roadmap also identifies gaps in current capabilities and outlines investments needed to close those gaps.
How Tech Architecture Differs from Enterprise Architecture
Technology architecture is the high level blueprint that provides a map for the IT landscape of an organization. It typically includes a detailed assessment of current systems, applications and infrastructure, as well as a governance plan and road map for future technology investments.
Enterprise architecture (EA) is a holistic approach to organizational design that takes into account business goals, processes, information and technology. While both disciplines share some common ground, there are also some important distinctions.
The primary difference between tech architecture and enterprise architecture is that tech architecture focuses narrowly on technical concerns while enterprise architecture looks at the bigger picture. Technology architects are concerned with how individual technologies fit into the overall landscape, and how they can be integrated to support business goals. Enterprise architects, on the other hand, take a bird’s eye view of the entire organization, looking at how all of the pieces fit together to create a cohesive whole.
Another distinction is that technology architects tend to work in isolation from other parts of the organization, while enterprise architects are more likely to collaborate with business leaders and other stakeholders. This is because tech architects are focused on technical issues while enterprise architects are focused on business objectives.
Ultimately, the goal of technology architecture is to create an efficient and effective IT infrastructure that supports business goals. The goal of enterprise architecture is to align business goals with IT strategy and ensure that all parts of the organization work together seamlessly.
Benefits of Tech Architecture
There are many benefits of tech architecture, but three of the most important are that it can improve the quality of your product, make your development process more efficient, and reduce the overall cost of development.
Tech architecture provides a shared understanding of the system being developed, which can help to improve the quality of the final product. A well-designed architecture will allow for a system that is more maintainable, extensible, and error-prone.
In addition, a good architecture can make your development process more efficient. By defining the interfaces between components early on in the process, you can avoid doing rework later on. This can save you both time and money.
Finally, a good tech architecture can reduce the overall cost of development. By making your system more maintainable and easier to extend, you will be able to save money in the long run.
Challenges of Tech Architecture
A successful tech architecture needs to be able to handle a number of challenges, including:
-The ever-changing landscape of technology
-The need to be constantly updated and relevant
-The need to be adaptable to different company cultures
-The need for a high degree of flexibility
-The need to be able to integrate with a variety of other systems
