ICT network architect

ICT network architects design the topology and connectivity of ICT network such as hardware, infrastructure, communication and hardware components.

Excludes people performing managerial activities.

The following job titles also refer to ICT network architect:

network architects
network designer

Bachelor’s degree is generally required to work as ICT network architect. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

ICT network architect is a Skill level 4 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to ICT network architect.

telecommunications engineer
telecommunications analyst
ICT security administrator
ICT system architect
ICT security consultant

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of ICT network architect. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of ICT network architect with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of ICT network architect.

Ict network routing: The processes and techniques for choosing the best paths within an ICT network through which a packet can travel.
Ict network security risks: The security risk factors, such as hardware and software components, devices, interfaces and policies in ICT networks, risk assessment techniques that can be applied to assess the severity and the consequences of security threats and contingency plans for each security risk factor.
Ict security legislation: The set of legislative rules that safeguards information technology, ICT networks and computer systems and legal consequences which result from their misuse. Regulated measures include firewalls, intrusion detection, anti-virus software and encryption.
Business process modelling: The tools, methods and notations such as Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) and Business Process Execution Language (BPEL), used to describe and analyse the characteristics of a business process and model its further development.
Ict networking hardware: The ICT network equipment or computer networking devices, such as UPS systems, electrical systems, networking facilities and structured cabling systems.

These skills are necessary for the role of ICT network architect.

Provide technical documentation: Prepare documentation for existing and upcoming products or services, describing their functionality and composition in such a way that it is understandable for a wide audience without technical background and compliant with defined requirements and standards. Keep documentation up to date.
Assess ict knowledge: Evaluate the implicit mastery of skilled experts in an ICT system to make it explicit for further analysis and usage.
Identify suppliers: Determine potential suppliers for further negotiation. Take into consideration aspects such as product quality, sustainability, local sourcing, seasonality and coverage of the area. Evaluate the likelihood of obtaining beneficial contracts and agreements with them.
Maintain information network hardware: Assess the functionality and identify faults in the infrastructure of an information network, perform routine maintenance tasks which prevent failure and repair tasks in order to ensure permanent availability to system users.
Design computer network: Develop and plan ICT networks, such as wide area network and local area network, that connect computers using cable or wireless connections and allow them to exchange data and assess their capacity requirements.
Design process: Identify the workflow and resource requirements for a particular process, using a variety of tools such as process simulation software, flowcharting and scale models.
Design ict hardware placement: Describe and plan how cables and related hardware items will be placed throughout the building.
Develop creative ideas: Developing new artistic concepts and creative ideas.
Forecast future ict network needs: Identify current data traffic and estimate how growth will affect the ICT network.
Analyse business requirements: Study clients’ needs and expectations for a product or service in order to identify and resolve inconsistencies and possible disagreements of involved stakeholders.
Adjust ict system capacity: Change the scope of an ICT system by adding or reallocating additional ICT system components, such as network components, servers or storage to meet capacity or volume demands.
Maintain internet protocol configuration: Apply Internet Protocol Configuration (ipconfig) to gather data on Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) configuration values in order to identify devices and their IP addresses.
Define ict network design policies: Specify policies, principles, rules, processes and criteria for the design, planning and realisation of ICT networks.
Implement ict network diagnostic tools: Use software tools or components that monitor ICT network parameters, such as performance and throughput, provide data and statistics, diagnose errors, failures or bottlenecks and support decision making.
Define technical requirements: Specify technical properties of goods, materials, methods, processes, services, systems, software and functionalities by identifying and responding to the particular needs that are to be satisfied according to customer requirements.
Analyse network bandwidth requirements: Study the requirements on the transmission capacity of an ICT network or other telecommunication system.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of ICT network architect. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Agile project management: The agile project management approach is a methodology for planning, managing and overseeing of ICT resources in order to meet specific goals and using project management ICT tools.
Network management system tools: The software or hardware tools which enable monitoring, analysis and supervision of individual network components or network parts within a larger network system.
Procurement of ict network equipment: The products available from network equipment providers and methods for selecting and procuring the equipment.
Ict security standards: The standards regarding ICT security such as ISO and the techniques required to ensure compliance of the organisation with them.
Internet governance: The principles, regulations, norms and programs that shape the evolution and use of internet, such as internet domain names management, registries and registrars, according to ICANN/IANA regulations and recommendations, IP addresses and names, name servers, DNS, TLDs and aspects of IDNs and DNSSEC.
Cisco: The products available from the network equipment provider Cisco and methods for selecting and procuring the equipment.
Organisational resilience: The strategies, methods and techniques that increase the organisation’s capacity to protect and sustain the services and operations that fulfil the organisational mission and create lasting values by effectively addressing the combined issues of security, preparedness, risk and disaster recovery.
Legal requirements of ict products: The international regulations related to the development and use of ICT products.
Ict project management methodologies: The methodologies or models for planning, managing and overseeing of ICT resources in order to meet specific goals, such methodologies are Waterfall, Incremental, V-Model, Scrum or Agile and using project management ICT tools.
Process-based management: The process-based management approach is a methodology for planning, managing and overseeing of ICT resources in order to meet specific goals and using project management ICT tools.
Lean project management: The lean project management approach is a methodology for planning, managing and overseeing of ICT resources in order to meet specific goals and using project management ICT tools.
Ict network simulation: The methods and tools which enable modelling of the ICT network behaviour by calculating the data exchange among entities or capturing and reproducing characteristics from a functioning network.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of ICT network architect. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Manage staff: Manage employees and subordinates, working in a team or individually, to maximise their performance and contribution. Schedule their work and activities, give instructions, motivate and direct the workers to meet the company objectives. Monitor and measure how an employee undertakes their responsibilities and how well these activities are executed. Identify areas for improvement and make suggestions to achieve this. Lead a group of people to help them achieve goals and maintain an effective working relationship among staff.
Provide cost benefit analysis reports: Prepare, compile and communicate reports with broken down cost analysis on the proposal and budget plans of the company. Analyse the financial or social costs and benefits of a project or investment in advance over a given period of time.
Perform ict troubleshooting: Identify problems with servers, desktops, printers, networks, and remote access, and perform actions which solve the problems.
Apply technical communication skills: Explain technical details to non-technical customers, stakeholders, or any other interested parties in a clear and concise manner.
Build business relationships: Establish a positive, long-term relationship between organisations and interested third parties such as suppliers, distributors, shareholders and other stakeholders in order to inform them of the organisation and its objectives.
Monitor communication channels’ performance: Search for possible faults. Perform visual checks. Analyse system indicators and use diagnostic devices.
Perform resource planning: Estimate the expected input in terms of time, human and financial resources necessary to achieve the project objectives.

2523 – Computer network professionals

 

 

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References

1. ICT network architect – ESCO