技术架构定义
Technical Architecture - The Definitive Guide | LeanIX
Shortcuts
- Introduction
- What does Technical Architecture mean?
- The Difference between Enterprise Architecture and Technical Architecture
- The Role of a Technical Architect
- 5 useful Technical Architecture Diagrams
- Application Architecture Diagram
- Integration Architecture Diagram
- Deployment Architecture Diagram
- DevOps Architecture Diagram
- Data Architecture Diagram
- Conclusion
Introduction
In a fast-paced digital world where new technical innovations flood the market every year, businesses need to act quickly to keep up with the competition. However, adopting random technologies without knowing how they will create more value, in the long run, can have detrimental effects on a business. In addition, cloud computing, microservices, and distributed systems are adding another level of complexity to the IT landscape. All these factors combined have created a growing need for skilled IT architects.
在一个快节奏的数字世界中，每年都有新的技术创新涌入市场，企业需要迅速行动以跟上竞争。然而，从长远来看，在不知道如何创造更多价值的情况下采用随机技术可能会对企业产生不利影响。此外，云计算、微服务和分布式系统正在为IT领域增加另一个层次的复杂性。所有这些因素加在一起，对熟练IT架构师的需求越来越大。
IT architecture aims to align the business strategy with new technological solutions and consists of various disciplines ranging from strategic to highly technical. One that fits into the latter category is technology architecture as it mainly focuses on the design and documentation of software applications. Thus, technical architects create blueprint schematics of technical solutions making sure that new products or systems meet specified requirements.
IT体系结构旨在使业务战略与新的技术解决方案保持一致，包括从战略到高技术的各种学科。属于后一类的是技术架构，因为它主要关注软件应用程序的设计和文档。因此，技术架构师创建技术解决方案的蓝图图表，确保新产品或系统满足指定的要求。
Through this focus on detail and the clear rules that are defined in technology architecture, new software solutions can be successfully delivered by developing teams and easily connect with the existing systems of a company once they’re implemented. Working with technical architects ensures that developers create products that fit into the computer architecture and create the desired value for a business. It also saves companies from major headaches that are caused by system noncompliance.
通过这种对细节的关注和技术架构中定义的清晰规则，开发团队可以成功交付新的软件解决方案，并在实施后轻松与公司现有系统连接。与技术架构师合作可确保开发人员创建适合计算机体系结构的产品，并为企业创造所需的价值。它还使公司免于因系统不合规而引起的重大麻烦。
What does Technical Architecture mean?
Technical Architecture (TA) is a form of IT architecture that is used to design computer systems. It involves the development of a technical blueprint with regard to the arrangement, interaction, and interdependence of all elements so that system-relevant requirements are met.
技术架构（TA）是用于设计计算机系统的IT架构的一种形式。它涉及到就所有元素的安排、交互和相互依赖性制定技术蓝图，以满足系统相关需求。
Throughout the past decade, architecture has become a broadly used term in the context of information technology. This doesn’t come as a surprise considering how most companies had to redesign their IT landscape to adopt digital trends like cloud computing and software as service (SaaS). This digital transition required not only skilled developing teams but first and foremost IT architects. In their roles as IT strategists and planners, they map out a target architecture and make sure that all IT decisions align with business goals and requirements.
在过去的十年中，架构已经成为信息技术背景下广泛使用的术语。考虑到大多数公司不得不重新设计IT环境，以适应云计算和软件即服务（SaaS）等数字趋势，这并不令人惊讶。这种数字化转型不仅需要熟练的开发团队，而且首先需要IT架构师。作为IT战略家和规划师，他们制定了目标体系结构，并确保所有IT决策与业务目标和需求保持一致。
But IT architecture encompasses a variety of different roles and disciplines that are sometimes difficult to tell apart. This is largely due to the highly dynamic nature of IT, its widespread adoption throughout all industries and businesses that have developed their own practices. In general, there’s a differentiation between enterprise architecture, solution architecture and technology architecture. In order to understand what technology architecture means, it’s helpful to examine the term architecture on its own.
但IT架构包含各种不同的角色和学科，有时很难区分。这在很大程度上是由于IT的高度动态性，它在所有已经开发出自己的实践的行业和企业中被广泛采用。一般来说，企业体系结构、解决方案体系结构和技术体系结构之间存在差异。为了理解技术体系结构的含义，单独研究术语体系结构是很有帮助的。
At its core, the term architecture describes the formation of a structure by strategically assembling single components. In this process of assembling, the architect has to adhere to certain rules or requirements like legal constraints, financial constraints, or scientific laws. In the world of technology architecture design, the focus lies on technology limitations, meaning that a technology architect makes sure that a new application is compatible with the existing technology at a company by specifying things like the communications network or hardware that it uses.
架构（architecture）一词的核心是通过战略性地组装单个组件来描述结构的形成。在装配过程中，架构师必须遵守某些规则或要求，如法律约束、财务约束或科学法律。在技术架构设计领域，重点在于技术限制，这意味着技术架构师通过指定新应用程序所使用的通信网络或硬件等内容，确保新应用程序与公司现有技术兼容。
The Difference between Enterprise Architecture and Technical Architecture
When it comes to the various disciplines in IT architecture, the difference between enterprise architecture (EA) and technical architecture (TA) can be difficult to grasp from an outside perspective. Even though both follow the same overall goal – which is maximizing the value that a company can get out of using the proper technology – they involve different scopes and skillsets. They also don’t stand alone or opposed to each other but form a synergy and thus are equally important to the success of a business.
当涉及it体系结构中的各个学科时，从外部的角度很难理解企业体系结构（EA）和技术体系结构（TA）之间的差异。尽管两者都遵循相同的总体目标——即最大限度地提高公司使用适当技术的价值——但它们涉及不同的范围和技能。它们也不会相互独立或对立，而是形成协同作用，因此对企业的成功同样重要。
Enterprise Architecture can be defined as a strategic planning initiative that determines the overall IT direction of a company. By taking all entities of an enterprise into account, including its stakeholders, customers, teams, data, and technology, it creates a visual blueprint of a target architecture that is perfectly aligned with business interests and goals. In this process, EA takes inventory of all existing applications and their interdependencies in order to identify obsolete technologies, redundancies, and new business opportunities.
企业架构可以定义为一项战略规划计划，它决定了公司的总体IT方向。通过考虑企业的所有实体，包括其利益相关者、客户、团队、数据和技术，它创建了一个与业务兴趣和目标完全一致的目标体系结构的可视化蓝图。在此过程中，EA对所有现有应用程序及其相互依赖性进行清点，以识别过时的技术、冗余和新的业务机会。
Since EA provides the IT roadmap and focuses on the big picture, it doesn’t go much into technical detail. And that is where TA comes into play. Technical architects focus on specific technologies and have a deep, ground-level understanding of their functions and limitations. By crafting technical blueprints for real-life IT solutions, they provide guidance to development teams during a project lifecycle. They have a low focus on how solutions fit into a company’s overall strategy, but a high focus on how they fit into existing computer systems.
由于EA提供了IT路线图，并且关注全局，所以它没有太多的技术细节。这就是助教发挥作用的地方。技术架构师专注于特定的技术，并对其功能和局限性有深入的基础理解。通过为现实生活中的IT解决方案设计技术蓝图，他们在项目生命周期中为开发团队提供指导。他们很少关注解决方案如何融入公司的整体战略，但更关注解决方案如何融入现有的计算机系统。
However, this doesn’t mean that technical architects operate in a bubble that is removed from the strategic mindset. They not only work with developers but also with less technical IT specialists like solution architects. The latter often serve as a middleman between enterprise architecture and technical architecture, synthesizing business strategy into real-life IT solutions that are then passed on to the technical architect. For businesses with a complex IT infrastructure, all three roles are key to successful transformations.
然而，这并不意味着技术架构师在一个脱离战略思维的泡沫中运作。他们不仅与开发人员合作，还与解决方案架构师等技术水平较低的IT专家合作。后者通常充当企业体系结构和技术体系结构之间的中间人，将业务战略合成现实生活中的IT解决方案，然后传递给技术架构师。对于具有复杂IT基础架构的企业，这三个角色都是成功转型的关键。
The Role of a Technical Architect
After enterprise and solution architects have designed a strategy and decided which IT solutions should be implemented, they delegate specific tasks to technical architects. In their role as IT specialists, they have the most hands-on approach and in-depth proficiency in one single technology. That’s why they’re often named after their area of knowledge, e.g., Sparx, Java or Python architect. Just like data or information architects, they fall under the umbrella of domain architects.
在企业和解决方案架构师设计了一个战略并决定应该实施哪些IT解决方案之后，他们将特定的任务委托给技术架构师。作为IT专家，他们在一项技术上拥有最实际的方法和最深入的熟练程度。这就是为什么他们经常以他们的知识领域命名，例如Sparx、Java或Python架构师。就像数据或信息架构师一样，它们属于领域架构师的保护伞下。
But what does the day-to-day of a technical architect look like? Since every project is different, technical architects can have a variety of responsibilities that span from producing documents and diagrams for their technical team to informing stakeholders on potential threats and making technology recommendations. The majority of their time goes into creating an architecture implementation plan by gathering requirements and breaking down the project into manageable chunks. During project execution, they closely monitor the progress and keep solution architects informed.
但是技术架构师的日常工作是什么样的呢？由于每个项目都是不同的，技术架构师可以承担各种责任，从为其技术团队制作文档和图表，到向利益相关者通报潜在威胁和提出技术建议。他们的大部分时间用于通过收集需求并将项目分解为可管理的块来创建架构实现计划。在项目执行期间，他们密切监控进度，并随时通知解决方案架构师。
Depending on the size of the business, technical architects can manage large teams of developers and IT specialists. They act as technical project managers who analyze design specifications for single applications and therein define best practices. From a top-down perspective, technical architects are the closest to the end-user, so they are the ones that ensure the usability and functionality of the respective technology. This involves tracking its effectiveness by conducting post-execution reviews with solution architects.
根据业务的规模，技术架构师可以管理由开发人员和IT专家组成的大型团队。他们充当技术项目经理，分析单个应用程序的设计规范，并在其中定义最佳实践。从自上而下的角度来看，技术架构师最接近最终用户，因此他们是确保各自技术的可用性和功能性的人。这包括通过与解决方案架构师进行执行后评审来跟踪其有效性。
Given the important part that technical architects play in the digital transformation process, they need to have a skill set that matches their responsibilities. Like most IT specialists, technical architects have a degree in computer science, computer engineering, or software development.
鉴于技术架构师在数字化转型过程中扮演的重要角色，他们需要具备与其职责相匹配的技能。与大多数IT专家一样，技术架构师拥有计算机科学、计算机工程或软件开发学位。
But in-depth knowledge about applications, quality standards, and legislation isn’t enough. They’re also required to have good interpersonal skills to collaborate with stakeholders and team members. And since IT projects usually have tight deadlines, technical architects also need to be able to prioritize and anticipate problems and solutions.
但对应用、质量标准和立法的深入了解还不够。他们还需要具备与利益相关者和团队成员合作的良好人际交往技能。而且，由于IT项目通常有很紧的截止日期，技术架构师还需要能够对问题和解决方案进行优先级排序和预测。
5 Useful Technical Architecture Diagrams
In TA, the use of a technical architecture diagram is common practice as it provides a much-needed bird’s eye view of a company’s IT infrastructure. It usually shows all the components of a system as well as its interdependencies.
在TA中，技术架构图的使用是常见的做法，因为它提供了公司it基础设施急需的鸟瞰图。它通常显示系统的所有组件及其相互依赖关系。
These high-level architecture diagrams serve different purposes and make it easier for IT specialists to come up with the right technology solution design. They also help fill the gaps in communication between technical and non-technical staff and illustrate how changes will impact the whole system. Below are 5 frequently used TA diagrams.
这些高级体系结构图服务于不同的目的，使it专家更容易提出正确的技术解决方案设计。它们还有助于填补技术人员和非技术人员之间的沟通空白，并说明变化将如何影响整个系统。下面是5个常用的TA图。
Application Architecture Diagram
As the name suggests, the application architecture diagram focuses on the applications within a computer system and how they interact with databases and each other. If an application needs to be replaced, upgraded, or merged with other applications, technical architects can quickly assess how this will affect the system. With a single glance, they see which applications reside in shared container clusters, what their interactions and dependencies look like, and how the desired state of architecture can be reached.
顾名思义，应用程序体系结构图关注计算机系统中的应用程序，以及它们如何与数据库和彼此交互。如果应用程序需要替换、升级或与其他应用程序合并，技术架构师可以快速评估这将如何影响系统。只需一眼，他们就能看到哪些应用程序驻留在共享容器集群中，它们的交互和依赖关系是什么样子，以及如何达到所需的体系结构状态。
Integration Architecture Diagram
While the application architecture diagram deals with the “What” in relation to the system, the integration architecture diagram focuses on the “How” by emphasizing integration protocols between single components. This diagram comes in handy when an external partner system needs to be integrated into the existing one. With this diagram, technical architects are forced to think about how services are organized and how they’re exposed. If they’re exposed externally, it helps them decide on how they’ll be secured and tracked during and after the integration.
当应用程序体系结构图处理与系统相关的“什么”时，集成体系结构图通过强调单个组件之间的集成协议来关注“如何”。当外部合作伙伴系统需要集成到现有系统中时，此图非常有用。通过这个图，技术架构师被迫思考服务是如何组织的以及它们是如何公开的。如果它们暴露在外部，它可以帮助它们决定在集成期间和之后如何保护和跟踪它们。
Deployment Architecture Diagram
In the deployment architecture diagram, IT specialists depict the network boundaries as well as the infrastructure of hardware and software components. Since this diagram also tends to specify the quantity and size of components, it both addresses the questions “Where” and “How many”. In practice, the deployment architecture diagram is used to facilitate the upgrading of services or applications. This might be necessary when existing resources have become unable to handle the increasing scale and load caused by a growing number of users.
在部署体系结构图中，IT专家描述了网络边界以及硬件和软件组件的基础结构。由于此图还倾向于指定组件的数量和大小，因此它同时解决了“位置”和“数量”问题。实际上，部署体系结构图用于促进服务或应用程序的升级。当现有资源无法处理由越来越多的用户造成的不断增加的规模和负载时，这可能是必要的。
DevOps Architecture Diagram
This diagram is used to optimize processes and deployment flows. By not only looking at the components but also at their processes, technical architects can identify weaknesses within the deployment process like non-standardized practices or bottlenecks. The diagram makes technical architects examine what kind of applications are deployed, what the current process flow looks like, and how configurations are managed across applications. Once these areas of improvement or integration points are uncovered, it’s easier to implement new tools.
此图用于优化流程和部署流。通过不仅查看组件，还查看其流程，技术架构师可以识别部署流程中的弱点，如非标准化实践或瓶颈。该图使技术架构师能够检查部署的应用程序类型、当前流程的外观以及如何跨应用程序管理配置。一旦发现了这些改进领域或集成点，就更容易实施新工具。
Data Architecture Diagram
With a data architecture diagram, technical architects visualize how data is collected, stored, processed, and used. It also helps them capture the flow of data between all the components that make up a system. Nowadays, businesses deal with an increasing amount of data that can quickly slow down the system or cause even bigger issues. A data architecture diagram is the first step to optimizing data collection and storage as it reveals where upgrades are needed and where costs can be lowered.
通过数据体系结构图，技术架构师可以可视化数据的收集、存储、处理和使用方式。它还帮助他们捕获组成系统的所有组件之间的数据流。如今，企业处理的数据量越来越大，这可能会迅速降低系统速度，或导致更大的问题。数据体系结构图是优化数据收集和存储的第一步，因为它揭示了哪些地方需要升级，哪些地方可以降低成本。
Conclusion
In the world of IT architecture, technical architects have the most hands-on role when it comes to the implementation of IT solutions. They focus on specific technologies and make sure that they fit into existing computer systems and meet all technological, security, functional, and business requirements. By employing data architecture diagrams, they depict the intricacies of a computer system and facilitate the communication between developers and other teams involved in the process.
在IT体系结构的世界中，技术架构师在IT解决方案的实施中扮演着最实际的角色。他们专注于特定的技术，并确保它们适合现有的计算机系统，满足所有技术、安全、功能和业务需求。通过使用数据体系结构图，它们描述了计算机系统的复杂性，并促进了开发人员与参与该过程的其他团队之间的沟通。
Since technical architecture is less concerned with the strategy of a business, it is complemented by the work produced in enterprise architecture. The latter determines the overall IT direction and designs a target architecture that aligns with business objectives.
由于技术体系结构与企业的战略关系不大，因此它由企业体系结构中产生的工作来补充。后者确定总体IT方向，并设计与业务目标一致的目标体系结构。
However, EA relies on TA for the proper implementation and delivery of new technology solutions. In many cases, there is also a solution architect that acts as a middleman between EA and TA. A collaboration between all three roles is key to bringing a complex IT project to fruition.
然而，EA依靠TA来正确实施和交付新技术解决方案。在许多情况下，还有一个解决方案架构师充当EA和TA之间的中间人。这三个角色之间的协作是实现复杂IT项目的关键。
IT Architecture Roles
Enterprise Architect vs. Solution Architect vs. Technical Architect
Enterprise Architect (EA)
Technology Focus: 0%
Strategy Focus: 100%
Key Competencies:
- Master of EA Frameworks (i.e. TOGAF, Zachman Framework)
- Uncovers operational gaps
- Analyzes informattion through data models and architecture diagrams
- Communicates the value of new IT strategies and keeps stakeholders informed of ongoing initiatives
Daily Use Cases - Streamline the application landscape for optimal performance. Decommission redundancies and save costs.
- Understand where data inter-dependencies live across the IT landscape. Identify and avoid tech risks.
How to become a EA
- Learn the fundamentals of IT, business operations, and software architecture
- Obtain a Bachelors/Masters degree Minor in Business Administration
- Earn certifications: i.e. TOGAF, FEAC, LeanIX Certified EA Practitioner
- Leverage managerial skills to lead, advise, or collaborate with different departments
- Find a mentor
Solution Architect (SA)
Technology Focus: 50%
Strategy Focus: 50%
Key Competencies:
- Coordinates ongoing activities
- Transtates the design concept to IT operations
- Defines a best-fit solution for existing problems
- Ensures technological risks are accounted for and solutions meet necessary requirements
Daily Use Cases: - Plan transformation on time - whether it's for your cloud migration, external audits, or beyond.
- Communicate how applications support business capabilities from a position of functional fit, technical fit, and risk.
How to become a SA
- Learn the fundamentals of software architecture, computer science
- Obtain a Bachelors/Masters degree
- Acquire analytical skills to translate abstract problem into tangible items the can be solved to drive business outcomes
- Communicate initiatives in a way that both business and technology professionals can understand
- Find a mentor
Technical Architect (TA)
Technology Focus: 100%
Strategy Focus: 0%
Key Competencies:
- High level of in-depth expertise (i.e. Python, Java)
- Provides recommendations to address potential threats
- Implements technical processes to roll out solutions
- Delivers fully functional products in a timely manner for the end user
Daily Use Cases: - Realize a 360-degree view inside DevOps containers to accelerate release cycles.
- Create process for rapid development, intelligent personalization, and seamless exploration across all solutions.
How to become a TA
- Learn the fundamentals of software development, computer science
- Obtain a Bachelors/Masters degree
- Gain an understanding of full-stack development for a broader knowledge of technical operations
- Use interpersonal skills to work alongside non-technical business colleagues. Project manage workload of technical teams
- Find a mentor
Integration Between Solution and Technical Architecture
Technical Architects translate the proposed solution of the Solution Architetcs into an integrated system and provide in-depth technical insight on matters like hardware and software specifics.
Integration Between Enterprise and Solution Architecture
The work between EAs and SAs is like a link between technical vision and its effective implementation through IT strategy. EAs focus more on the strategic portions, whereas SAs take specific problems and propose a solution to support the vision.
What Makes These Roles Critical to IT Operations?
All three positions define business goals and design an information technology roadmap. This roadmap creates a bridge between context and concept. Whether an organization needs all three types of architects depends on the company size and the complexity of its infrastructure.
