Note: This book has evolved into The Software Architect Elevator, which contains 5 new chapters and many edits. It's available from Amazon and the O'Reilly Learning Platform.

The Changing Role of IT

Many large enterprises are feeling pressure from the rapid digitalization of the world: digital disruptors attack unexpectedly with brand-new business models; the "FaceBook generation" has dramatically different user expectations; and a whole slew of new technologies has become available to everyone with a credit card. This is tough stuff for enterprises that have been, and still are, very successful, but are built around traditional technology and organizational structures. "Turning the tanker", as the need to transform is often described, has become a board room-level topic in many traditional enterprises. Not as easily done as said.

The Changing Role of Architects

Chief IT Architects and CTOs play a key role in such a digital transformation endeavor. They combine the technical, communication, and organizational skill to understand how a tech stack refresh can actually benefit the business, what "being agile" and "DevOps" really mean, and what technology infrastructure is needed to assure quality while moving faster. Their job is not an easy one, though: they must maneuver in an organization where IT is often still seen as a cost center, where operations means "run" as opposed to "change", and where middle-aged middle-management has become cozy neither understanding the business strategy nor the underlying technology. It's no surprise then that IT architects have become some of the most sought-after IT professionals around the globe.

What You Will Learn

This book supports IT architects with the skills necessary to become effective not just in systems architecture, but also in shaping and driving the necessary transformation of large-scale IT departments. In today’s world, technical and organizational transformation have become inseparable. Organized into 37 episodes, this book explains:

• The role and qualities of an architect in a large enterprise
• Architecture at enterprise scale
• Communicating to a variety of stakeholders
• Understanding organizational structures and systems
• Transforming traditional organizations

Surely you're going to the cloud or are already part-way there. But do you have a clear strategy, one that makes meaningful decisions, those that imply conscious trade-offs? How do you connect business outcomes with technology choices that involve several hundred available services and endless configuration options?

This book is the result of developing cloud strategies for major clients. Most available books were either extremely high-level or got lost in product details, so I wrote one that helps you develop a cloud strategy that is supported by decision models as opposed to empty buzzwords.

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A Decision-based Approach to Cloud Strategy

A strategy isn't something you can copy-paste from a recipe book or from another organization. Diverse starting points, objectives, and constraints imply different choices and trade-offs. In addition, a cloud strategy doesn't just consider technical change but also includes close alignment across business, organization, and technology. This book questions existing assumptions ("Running software you didn't build is a bad deal") and presents technology-neutral decision models ("8 ways to slice the hybrid cloud") ideally suited to defining and communicating a well-thought-out migration journey.

Contents

Based on the author's extensive experience taking large organizations to the cloud, 32 Chapters highlight options, decisions, and trade-offs - the core elements of any strategy. These mental models come to life in real-life anecdotes and examples:

• Part 1: Understanding the Cloud - Cloud is very different from traditional IT procurement, so you'll have to rethink the way your IT works.
• Part 2: Organizing for the Cloud - Cloud impacts more than your tech landscape.
• Part 3: Moving to the Cloud - There are many ways to the cloud; please choose wisely.
• Part 4: Architecting the Cloud - Look beyond products and buzzwords for rational decision models.
• Part 5: Building for the Cloud - Applications running on the cloud need to do their part, also.
• Part 6: Embracing the Cloud - To reap the full benefits of cloud, you need to keep moving.

This is the guide that you're going to want to have by your side for your cloud journey.