The Role of the Enterprise Architect in 2018
Gartner, the leading technology research company, has put AI at the top of its top technology trends for 2018 with some advice for the architects behind the megatrend.
From a decline in demand just three years ago to a role that is now in high demand, the skillsets of Enterprise Architects (EA) are now the fastest growing in tech. The survey, which questioned 4,500 IT decision makers around the world, also revealed that an adaption lag is making EA recruitment difficult, rather than the assumed skills shortage.
Mindsets need to change, risk needs to be tolerated better, and focus must be on the needs of the business if architects are to continue driving value through a new agile way of working.
EA doesn’t look the same as it once did and that will affect the ease in which hiring managers will be able to find the right people for the job, however, the ability to integrate multiple business layers and manage the lifecycles and ecosystems of enterprise-wide applications is still at the core of the job – albeit with new technology in a now diverse and highly complex environment.
In Gartner’s report, they encourage EAs to stay up-to-date with key tech in AI (below).
The 9 Key Technologies for Enterprise Architects:
- Machine Learning
- Deep Learning
- Cognitive Computing
- Deep Reinforcement Learning
- Conversational User Interfaces
- Artificial General Intelligence
- UAVs
- Robots
- Driverless cars & Intelligent Mobility
These technologies will be on the employers’ radar, especially amongst fast-moving, innovative companies. Those looking to move up in the career of enterprise architecture should take note and continue to build on their understanding of how today’s new tech solves tomorrow’s business problems.
A broad, working knowledge of AI technologies is essential if the EA is to enable the digital transformation of a company. Today’s EAs are curious about how the entire business value chain works and what technology can do to take that business forward.
The role draws on multiple disciplines from strategy, project management and communication to modeling, analytics, infrastructure and applications. Combine that in-demand blend of skills with today’s AI technology and you have the new breed of Enterprise Architect.
For further insight on the skills required by today’s employers, here are a few live examples of Enterprise Architect jobs in 2018.