This book is your first step in the solution architecture world. Throughout this book, you will learn all about solution architecture, and how to become a solution architect. In this first chapter, let's understand the meaning of solution architecture. Solution architecture is the building blocks of solution development in the organization. It helps to create a successful solution in a complex organization, where product development has dependencies on multiple groups.

For the success of application development, defining solution architecture should be the first step, which then lays out the foundations and the robust building block of implementation. Solution architecture not only considers the requirements of the business, but also handles critical, non-functional requirements such as scalability, high availability, maintainability, performance, security, and so on.

A solution architect is a person who is responsible for designing solution architecture by collaborating across stakeholders. The solution architect analyzes the functional requirement and defines a non-functional requirement in order to cover all aspects of the solution and avoid any surprises. Each solution has multiple constraints such as cost, budget, timeline, regulatory, and so on, and the solution architect considers them, while also creating the design and making technology selection.

The solution architect develops a proof of concept and prototype in order to evaluate various technology platforms, and then chooses the best strategy for solution implementation. They mentor the team throughout solution development and provide post-launch guidance to maintain and scale the final product.

In this chapter, you will learn about the following topics:

• What is solution architecture?
• Evolution for solution architecture
• Understanding the importance of solution architecture
• The benefits of solution architecture
• The workings of solution architecture in the public cloud