Cloud Networking Architect
The Cloud Networking Architect designs, deploys, and supports large cloud environments. The individual must proactively provide technical support in areas, such as network automation, software-defined networks (SDN), VPN, local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), network security platforms, and load-balancing technologies within cloud architectures.
Architects must evaluate, reexamine, and hone proposals and designs for network architecture and interact with third-party architects to customize designs when decisions are taken. They must interact cross-functionally to improve the cloud infrastructure.
Professionals should have excellent written and verbal communication skills. They must possess strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Architects need to be adept at customer service and should be good team players.
Job Description
Architects take part in the design, deployment, and administration of network infrastructure solutions. They implement and manage network infrastructure utilized to support the organization’s cloud. Architects contribute to the creation of the organization’s cloud architecture and business system plans, evaluate the budget, and ensure that the plans are following the strategic objectives of the cloud business.
They interact with different teams on relevant technical activities. Professionals develop, maintain, and establish cloud network technologies around SD-WAN, MPLS, and public Internet technologies while abiding by industry’s best practices. They incorporate requirements into the Statements of Work.
Freelance cloud networking architects implement project plans for customer activities. They provide remote support for migration from old to new infrastructures. They extend technical, as well as user guidance for clients, as required.
Professionals carry out environmental audits as needed for ensuring steady implementation. They gain and maintain current knowledge bases of useful product contributions and support policies for providing technically sound solutions to clients. Architects communicate requirements of network connectivity requirements to internal teams, clients, and telecom providers. They help in developing customized network solutions for clients. Professionals keep abreast with the latest developments to improve their technical and professional skills continually.
They provide technical guidance to sales teams of organization/clients to develop solutions and to implement roadmaps. Architects provide technical guidance and execute analysis activity to clients to assist them in developing network designs and deployment plans for their hybrid cloud network incorporation requirements.
They guide and train sales field network architects on the best practices for SD-WAN and hybrid cloud network incorporation. Professionals’ partner with internal teams to make use of insights gained from field engineers to build on iteration, regular service offerings around SD-WAN for integration of hybrid cloud networks.
They work with internal services teams to interpret and deploy system management solutions and automated orchestration for SD-WAN infrastructures. Finally, they predict technology and market trends to aid guide strategy for network services offerings.
Educational Qualifications and Other Requirements
Cloud networking architects need to have a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, information technology or a related discipline or equivalent years of relevant work experience.
They should have CCNP or CCIE or equivalent certifications of Microsoft or Juniper. Professionals should have a work experience of minimum eight years. They should have experience in SD-WAN, must be able to script in languages, such as Perl, Bash or Python, and be able to work with DevOPs tools, such as Chef or Ansible or Puppet.
They should be conversant with VLANs, TCP/IP, Spanning Tree, QoS, BGP, OSPF, multicast, VRF, EIGRP, besides Metro Ethernet and MPLS connectivity, and application layer firewall deployment and fixing. Professionals should be conversant with networking monitoring tools, such as Wireshark or Solarwinds Orion, and WAN optimization appliances. They should extensive knowledge of networking technologies and platforms.
Architects need to be well-versed with IT production environments and mission-critical systems for including internal controls and regulatory compliance of information technology. They should have experience with disaster recovery. Professionals need to have at least five years of experience in networking and resolutions in large, distributed environments. They need to have adequate experience in LTM, GTM, and ASM. Architects should have worked with public clouds, such as Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Prospects
Job opportunities for computer network architects are expected to rise by six percent during the period 2016-2026. Their demand will swell since organizations will continue investing in their IT networks, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Salary
The average salary of a cloud systems architect is $138,907 per year in the United States, according to salary.com.
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