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13 maj 2025 · 4 min lästidWhich cloud provider to choose? How to achieve both speed and security? For large enterprises, these aren’t just technical questions, they’re business-critical trade-offs. In the race to modernise, the biggest risk can be trying to have it all. That’s when complexity takes over and strategy collapses under its own weight. And yet, there’s a group of professionals trained to navigate this maze of choices: architects.
We spoke with Gregor Hohpe, an internationally recognised expert in enterprise architecture, and Nitor’s Technology Strategist, Mika Majakorpi, to explore how architecture work is evolving in a world shaped by agility, cloud computing, and AI. We also discussed what skills today’s architects need to lead digital transformation from the engine room to the executive suite.
For years, architects were seen as oracle-like figures, leading from the top down by making the most important decisions. But that model no longer works in today’s product-driven world. Instead, architects act as connectors, communicators, and change agents. This shift requires new skills.
Gregor Hohpe, a former strategist at AWS, Google Cloud and the Singapore government, visited Nitor in Finland to run a tailored workshop. As a published author on enterprise architecture, he believes the modern architect’s role is less about making decisions and more about enabling others to make better ones. Hohpe reminds:
The role of the modern architect is to make everyone else smarter, not to be the smartest person in the room.
Rather than dictating decisions, architects today function as amplifiers, helping teams navigate trade-offs, improve decision discipline, and gain clarity in complex systems. They create transparency: what was decided, why, and what trade-offs were made.
He also stresses that the IT department can't make architectural decisions in isolation. Instead, they should negotiate with product owners and business stakeholders based on expected change and uncertainty.
Majakorpi reinforces Hohpe’s point, emphasising that architects must act as interpreters between business intent and technical possibilities. Architects are not always qualified to make decisions independently, and the same applies to the business side.
“You can’t assume the business will always know what the technology should do. Architects need to bring awareness of what’s technically possible to the strategic conversation. That’s how business and technology strategy truly come together – through collaboration”, says Majakorpi.
The primary role of the architect is to bridge the gap between technical possibilities and business needs. By working closely with the business, architects can jointly decide on the best implementation options, ensuring that the solutions are both practical and valuable.
Riding the Architect elevator
Gregor Hohpe uses his “Architect elevator” metaphor to illustrate how effectiveness comes from moving between the C-level business strategy and hands-on technical realities instead of working at one level. In Nitor’s workshop, the architects brainstormed best practices for successfully influencing and bringing value to all levels of the corporate hierarchy.
“It’s a combination of your innate abilities and skills that you can develop. What I find inspiring is the fact that any architect should have the communication skills that help them discuss with people from different professions”, says Majakorpi.
While Hohpe wholeheartedly agrees that strong communication is key, he cautions that it’s not just about waving your arms but about technical communications grounded in architecture. A common mistake is trying to convince executives who don’t buy into an idea with even more technical detail. That rarely works.
“Instead, translate the technical risk into something they understand. Say: ‘This covers a risk that would otherwise cost us X.’ Now it’s real money. If the audience isn’t convinced, don’t go deeper into tech. Start speaking their language: interest rates, options, liabilities, CapEx, OpEx. That’s how they think. As an architect, having even a little fluency in that domain can make all the difference”.
Transformation is all about learning and unlearning
But it’s not just architects who must learn how to keep up with today's demands. Drawing on his work at Google and AWS, Hohpe notes that many companies fail because they treat transformation like a project, or believe it’s easy, or that someone else can do it for them.
”Many people can help you – they can modernise your technology or advise you on new ways of working. But real change can only come from the inside. It’s not something you can outsource or inject”, he says.
“The hardest part is that your existing ways of working were shaped by old constraints, like the assumptions of legacy infrastructure. Cloud, automation and faster delivery cycles take many of those constraints away, but you can’t just fine-tune the existing processes. You need to go back to the drawing board and rethink how to work without those limitations. Often, the answer is the exact opposite of how you’ve been working before”, he concludes.
Nitor’s Mika Majakorpi has worked with many large corporations in Finland and helped their experts learn new ways of working and unlearn old ones.
“One transformation taking place as we speak is the shift toward product-led thinking. I see that product owners also benefit from leadership skills, especially from partnering with architects. And at Nitor, we can definitely help both groups in honing their skills!”, he hints.
Whether you're driving cloud transformation or shifting toward product-led thinking, one thing is clear: a strong technology strategy needs architects close – and ready to step off the elevator on any floor.
