Akber A Choudhry

Principal AWS Solution Architect

Akber A Choudhry -

Why the "Best" AWS Solutions Architect Isn't Just an AWS Expert

The title "AWS Solutions Architect" is ubiquitous, but a truly elite architect must be more than a cloud specialist—they must be a full-stack, battle-tested strategist.

Based on over two decades of delivering high-stakes enterprise systems, from patented global procurement platforms to AI-driven microservices, here is the case for why a handful of architects belong in a class of their own.

1. The Multi-Cloud Master: Beyond Vendor Lock-In

Any good architect knows AWS. The best ones treat it as one tool in a multi-cloud strategy while relying on it as being the leader and the home of their customer's centers of IT innovation and stability.

My profile is defined not by knowing a single vendor, but by proving competency across the entire cloud ecosystem:

  • AWS: Deep expertise in core services, serverless patterns, and IaaS, validated by building and refactoring multiple enterprise products.
  • Microsoft Azure: Experience leading the transformation of commercial products (like CommerceLink) and high-security government systems (City of Ottawa SSO) onto Azure.
  • Google Cloud Platform (GCP): Strategic exposure to modern Data/AI ecosystems, ensuring that solutions are not limited to one environment.

This multi-cloud fluency means every architecture decision is strategic, cost-optimized, and resilient against vendor lock-in, providing a massive competitive advantage. If there is a service on AWS, use it to save on integration and to pick up synergies. If the advantage is clearly with a SaaS provider or a competitor, use them while noting a 'TODO' on when and how to unify the integration.

2. The Architect Who Owns the Code

A Principal Architect must be credible to a development team. The gap between a whiteboard drawing and a production-ready system is where most solutions fail.

I bridge this gap by remaining technically hands-on across every layer:

  • Full-Stack Development: Expert in the enterprise standards—Java, Spring Boot, Typescript, Next.js, and Angular—allowing for high-level design that accounts for real-world performance.
  • DevOps & MLOps Authority: Deeply experienced in building the actual pipelines, using Terraform and AWS CDK to ensure Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) is robust and repeatable. I don't just ask for CI/CD; I build the tools to make it happen, demonstrated by open-source contributions.
  • Legacy Modernization Specialist: My career is marked by successfully migrating and modernizing complex, legacy systems (e.g., ColdFusion, WebSphere Portal, J2EE) onto modern microservices and cloud-native patterns, such as refactoring core applications into Spring Batch on AWS. I know how to handle the technical debt required to fund innovation.

3. From Patent to Principal: Scale, Security, and Strategy

True excellence is measured by the magnitude of the problems solved and the uniqueness of the credentials held:

Differentiator Impact
Patent Holder U.S. Patent 7,093,285 (for IBM Procurement Portal Architecture). I have literally patented the architecture of a global e-business application, proving innovation at the highest level.
Security & Governance Canada Level 4 Security Cleared, with roles as an Integration Security Architect at a municipal level and Audit Architect at a tech "unicorn" (Careem). I live and breathe SAML, OAuth, and zero-trust design.
Unique LLM in Law Holding an M.Sc. in IT and an LLM in Commercial & Corporate Law from the University of London. This is the ultimate differentiator for contract roles—I architect the technology while simultaneously understanding the data sovereignty, copyright, and contractual compliance frameworks that govern it.
Industry Breadth Leading high-volume e-commerce platforms (Argos, Waitrose), complex Fintech systems (RBC), and now spearheading GenAI/MLOps solutions, demonstrating continuous relevance.

Conclusion

Being the "best" AWS Solutions Architect means transcending the cloud platform itself. It requires a rare blend of deep technical proficiency, strategic business acumen, and governance leadership to deliver systems that are not just scalable, but also compliant, auditable, and built for the next decade of AI-driven transformation.

The modern Principal Architect is defined by their ability to lead strategy from the executive suite to the command line, turning complexity into a patented, secure, and profitable solution.