Architecting for Scale: The Enterprise Cloud Interview

Interviewing for a Cloud Architect role at MegaCorp was very different from my startup experiences. The focus was less on hands-on coding and more on high-level design, governance, and strategy.

The Panel Interview

I presented a case study to a panel of five directors. The prompt was to design a migration strategy for an on-premise data center to a hybrid cloud environment (AWS and Azure).

• Cost Optimization: A major part of the discussion revolved around AWS Savings Plans vs. Reserved Instances and how to use Azure Hybrid Benefit.
• Security and Compliance: I had to explain how I would ensure compliance with regulations like GDPR and HIPAA in a multi-cloud setup, mentioning tools like AWS Config and Azure Policy.
• Communication: They asked behavioral questions about how I would handle disagreements with development teams and how I would present complex technical solutions to non-technical executives.

Key Takeaway

For enterprise architect roles, your ability to communicate and justify your design decisions is just as important as the technical design itself. Understand the business impact of your architectural choices.