What does a senior infrastructure architect do?
Senior infrastructure architects primarily develop and implement the information systems supporting enterprise infrastructure. These professionals are in charge of business engagement in organizations. The architects translate the requirements of businesses into technical solution designs. They offer solutions and technical ownership from design up to production. A university degree in network management or computer engineering is one of the requirements to land this job. Getting an infrastructure architecture certificate is also beneficial to be considered for the position.
Senior infrastructure architect responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior infrastructure architect resumes:
- Manage and support Citrix application builds and release cycles.
- Manage Cisco ASA firewalls and Microsoft ISA firewalls in production environment providing secure configurations and monitoring of the firewall logs.
- Provision, configure and maintain cloud resources including server instances, load balancers, security groups, DNS management, certificates.
- Plan and implement a sophisticate Linux server environment for a major MVNO.
- Assist in the development of a long term vision and strategy regarding virtualization and storage.
- Install new servers, all new workstations, switches, backup system, and cabling.
- Provide technical support for global operations for Solaris, AIX, Linux, and storage infrastructure.
- Create a technology transition plan to assist in the migration of legacy technologies into IP technologies.
- Create training and support documents and consolidate within SharePoint for single source of knowledge used for new hires and reference purposes.
- Monitor performance to identify and resolve system infrastructure problems.
- Leverage virtualization and clustering to migrate existing physical infrastructure to virtualize systems that are redundant and can handle hardware failure.
- Implement new software production and deployment methodologies that result in optimizing build and deployment while ensuring stringent DOD vulnerability management.
- Implement procedural and process improvements that provide for better time tracking, contract management, inventory management and SLA tracking/reporting.
Senior infrastructure architect skills and personality traits
We calculated that 13% of Senior Infrastructure Architects are proficient in Amazon Web Services, AWS, and Cloud. They’re also known for soft skills such as Multitasking skills, Problem-solving skills, and Analytical skills.
We break down the percentage of Senior Infrastructure Architects that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Amazon Web Services, 13%
Migrated corporate website to Amazon Web Services to provide reliability and security.
- AWS, 12%
Implemented Snowplow infrastructure for web eventanalytics on Amazon AWS.
- Cloud, 11%
Collaborate with cloud computing teams to define Cloud Computing adoption models, best practices, use cases, guidance documents etc.
- Cloud Computing, 10%
Cloud computing, collaboration, and email solution.
- Disaster Recovery, 6%
Designed and implement new High availability / DR solutions, create relocation/consolidation disaster recovery architecture project plans.
- Lead Implementation, 6%
Designed and lead implementation of Windows 2008, Exchange 2010, and SharePoint 2010.
Most senior infrastructure architects use their skills in "amazon web services," "aws," and "cloud" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential senior infrastructure architect responsibilities here:
Multitasking skills. One of the key soft skills for a senior infrastructure architect to have is multitasking skills. You can see how this relates to what senior infrastructure architects do because "administrators may have to work on many problems and tasks at the same time." Additionally, a senior infrastructure architect resume shows how senior infrastructure architects use multitasking skills: "refined skills in multitasking and customer service. "
Problem-solving skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling senior infrastructure architect duties is problem-solving skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "administrators must quickly resolve problems that arise with computer networks." According to a senior infrastructure architect resume, here's how senior infrastructure architects can utilize problem-solving skills in their job responsibilities: "led adoption of virtualized solutions across investment bank for mission-critical applications on solaris, linux, and windows systems. "
Analytical skills. senior infrastructure architects are also known for analytical skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to senior infrastructure architect responsibilities, because "administrators need to evaluate networks and systems to make sure that they perform reliably and to anticipate new requirements as customers’ needs change." A senior infrastructure architect resume example shows how analytical skills is used in the workplace: "designed and coded an event dispatching web service component used by the high speed data and idm provisioning systems. "
Communication skills. A big part of what senior infrastructure architects do relies on "communication skills." You can see how essential it is to senior infrastructure architect responsibilities because "administrators must describe problems and their solutions to non-it workers." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical senior infrastructure architect tasks: "managed cisco utility express telecommunications (voip) switches and accounts, and supported vpn accounts. "
The three companies that hire the most senior infrastructure architects are:
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Compare different senior infrastructure architects
Senior infrastructure architect vs. Systems administrator lead
A systems administrator lead is responsible for planning, designing, and implementing procedures for critical enterprise systems. Typical duties of systems administrators include managing the day-to-day operations of a company's computer and network systems, developing new application and system implementation plans, and establishing guidelines for installing and managing the organization's computer operating systems. In addition, you are expected to ensure the security of computer systems by preventing unauthorized use, user abuse, and acts of nature.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between senior infrastructure architects and systems administrator lead. For instance, senior infrastructure architect responsibilities require skills such as "aws," "cloud," "cloud computing," and "lead implementation." Whereas a systems administrator lead is skilled in "system performance," "technical support," "database," and "pc." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Systems administrator leads earn the highest salaries when working in the telecommunication industry, with an average yearly salary of $103,205. On the other hand, senior infrastructure architects are paid more in the start-up industry with an average salary of $165,976.On average, systems administrator leads reach lower levels of education than senior infrastructure architects. Systems administrator leads are 5.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Senior infrastructure architect vs. Senior systems engineer
A senior systems engineer specializes in overseeing network systems, management tools, software, and hardware within a company or an organization. Their primary responsibility is to install, maintain, and resolve complex system issues using their years of extensive knowledge and expertise. They can also provide insights, troubleshooting, and technical support should it be needed. Furthermore, as a senior systems engineer, it is also their responsibility to lead, supervise, and coordinate with a team of skilled system engineers while in adherence to company policies and regulations.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that senior infrastructure architect responsibilities requires skills like "aws," "cloud," "lead implementation," and "vmware." But a senior systems engineer might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "architecture," "c++," "c #," and "dod."
Senior systems engineers may earn a lower salary than senior infrastructure architects, but senior systems engineers earn the most pay in the retail industry with an average salary of $116,608. On the other hand, senior infrastructure architects receive higher pay in the start-up industry, where they earn an average salary of $165,976.In general, senior systems engineers achieve similar levels of education than senior infrastructure architects. They're 0.5% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for senior infrastructure architects in the next 3-5 years?
Christy Graves
Professor/Program Manager, Seminole State College of Florida
Senior infrastructure architect vs. Senior system administrator
A senior system administrator specializes in overseeing the computer system operations in an organization. Their responsibilities primarily revolve around monitoring the performance of all software and hardware, installing servers, configuring systems, and making sure every technical aspect is running smoothly. Should there be any issues, they must take charge of troubleshooting and providing solutions. As someone with more experience, a senior system administrator leads and evaluates the performances of fellow skilled professionals in the department, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a senior infrastructure architect is likely to be skilled in "aws," "cloud," "lead implementation," and "project management," while a typical senior system administrator is skilled in "troubleshoot," "system administration," "san," and "dod."
Senior system administrators earn the highest salary when working in the finance industry, where they receive an average salary of $104,418. Comparatively, senior infrastructure architects have the highest earning potential in the start-up industry, with an average salary of $165,976.When it comes to education, senior system administrators tend to earn similar degree levels compared to senior infrastructure architects. In fact, they're 4.5% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Senior infrastructure architect vs. Architect
Architects are licensed professionals who specialize in art and science of design, building constructions, and structures. They play a vital role in the construction and not only responsible for the appearance but also the safety of users. They ensure that every structure is functional, safe, cost-effective, and suit the needs of the future occupants. They closely monitor the working progress to make sure that the project is built according to plan. Some architects are focused mainly on creating designs while some are exclusive in the production of building plans or "blueprints".
Types of senior infrastructure architect
Updated January 8, 2025
