Solution architects are professionals responsible for solving specific business problems by providing IT solutions. Solution architects recommend and manage hardware and software systems central to business operations. If you have technical understanding and development skills, you may aspire to become a solution architect. In this article, we examine potential solution architect interview questions you can expect during a job interview with example answers.
Common solution architect interview questions with example answers
Before responding to questions in a solution architect interview, understand the questions thoroughly and give adequate thought to your responses. Evaluate whether a question warrants a brief or a detailed response before answering it. These are some common solution architect interview questions with sample answers:
1. What is the most innovative solution you have proposed so far in your experience as a solution architect?
The purpose of this question is to know about your experience in specific technologies and if that can be helpful for the company’s business. Your innovative solution can help them understand your overall capability in providing solutions specific to their company or clients.
Example: “When I worked at a previous company, a client that was a creditor presented us with a problem. The company had designed a website to encourage users to create an account and find the perfect credit card for their lifestyle. They wanted to include a way that customers could return a credit card they had previously viewed.
I decided that the best solution would be to create a user interface that allows guests to favorite credit cards. This allowed consumers to mark the cards they wanted to choose when they visited the website again. As a result, the creditor increased their customer base.”
2. What is AWS?
Interviewers may ask this question if you attend an interview for a solution architect job or for an AWS solution architect role. The question aims to evaluate your knowledge about the job role. Your answer can also help the interviewer evaluate your exposure to popular technological platforms.
Example: “Amazon Web Services or AWS is the most widely used cloud platform offering features like database storage, computing power, content delivery and networking. An AWS solution architect is a cloud-computing professional with expertise in designing and implementing the architecture of a company’s cloud-based systems on the AWS platform. They use the AWS Well-Architected Framework pillars to develop a cloud solution that is secure, resilient, and efficient. An AWS solution architect is typically knowledgeable in cloud migration protocols. AWS is a scalable platform giving AWS solution architects the flexibility to design customizable solutions for their clients.”
3. What is Domain Driven Design?
An interviewer may ask this question to assess your knowledge of crucial concepts of solution architecture. If the company works in a domain like banking or retail, they may want to test your knowledge of this particular concept. Respond to the question with a brief explanation of what domain-driven design is.
Example: “A solution architect may design an application using the latest technologies, but if it does not meet a client’s needs, it may be of no value to them. Domain-Driven Design (DDD) focuses on the domain of a business. It is a methodology that incorporates core business domain concepts into the software architecture. It focuses on the core domain and domain logic. A solution architect can design complex designs based on the models of the domain. They also collaborate with domain experts to understand and resolve domain-related issues.”
4. How do you ensure security in design and solution?
Security is a top priority for businesses looking to secure the services of a solution architect. Security breaches are one of the prime concerns for any business. An interviewer may test your approach to building solutions in an optimized manner. Describe your approach to security and establish why your solutions are effective.
Example: “Organisations may suffer financial losses if there is a leak of crucial business information or customer data. When defining the solution architecture, I first try to understand how I can fit security aspects into the architecture. I provide security by protecting the databases from SQL injection. I also encode data before use and finally validate the input data before storing or using it. I also implement access control and encryption to provide data privacy and prevent unauthorized access. I conceal web server information, use HTTPS domains and set strong passwords to ensure optimum security for my solutions.”
5. List the tools you may use for designing a solution.
There are many tools that a solution architect may use to design the architecture of a system. Describe the ones that you have used so far and their importance. You can also include other tools you know but have not used so far. You can also learn more about the skills that the company has mentioned in the job description.
Example: “The most popular tools for solution architects include:
Veracode to analyse source code and reach design goals quickly at a lesser cost.
Nagios to monitor systems and infrastructure and rectify errors.
Git to track the changes made in the source code during software development.
Terminal to execute processes, download apps or navigate between multiple files with the help of a single command.
Java and Docker for programming.”
Reference: https://in.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/solution-architect-interview-questions
