IT architecture design
We draw the system before it is built — which components exist, how they talk, what happens when one fails, and what the whole thing costs.
from €1,900
What it actually is
This is the phase before implementation. The output is not a running server but a set of documents that any supplier — us or someone else — can execute without asking you again what you actually wanted.
We are usually called in three situations: a large investment is being prepared and it is not clear in what; the current system has hit a limit that nobody can name; or three applications that should talk to each other do not.
We work vendor-neutrally. We recommend one technology over another with the reasons written down and the five-year cost calculated, including the cost of getting out of it if it turns out to be wrong.
Who it is for
- Companies about to invest more than €50,000 in systems who want a plan before signing with a supplier.
- Businesses that grew by adding applications and ended up with a tangle of integrations nobody fully understands.
- Organisations that must demonstrate to an auditor or a large customer that the system has redundancy, environment separation and a continuity plan.
- Internal IT teams that need a documented second opinion before defending a decision to the board.
Who it is not for
- Projects where the supplier is already chosen and a justification is being sought. If the decision is made, an architecture written after it helps nobody.
- Small systems with a single application and under 20 users — there, formal design costs more than it saves.
- Emergencies. Architecture is done before the fire, not during it.
What we actually do
Functional and non-functional requirements
Not only what the system must do, but how many concurrent users, what response time is acceptable, how long it may be down, and how old the data may be after a restore.
Architecture diagrams at three levels
Context, containers and components — who uses the system, what parts it is made of, and how they communicate. Diagrams are delivered editable, not as images.
Data model and information flow
Where each piece of data is born, who changes it, where it is duplicated, and which system is the source of truth. Most integration conflicts are settled here.
Security and access architecture
Network segmentation, identity management, separation of test and production, where personal data sits and how that stands up under GDPR.
Availability and recovery plan
What fails when each component fails, what is lost, how long it takes to come back, and what each level of redundancy costs. Those numbers are agreed with the board, not with IT.
Technology comparison with five-year cost
Two or three realistic options with licences, infrastructure, implementation effort and maintenance effort, plus the cost of migrating away from each.
Implementation specification
The document you use to request comparable quotes from several suppliers. It is written so somebody other than us can execute it.
How long it takes
- 1
Interviews and inventory of what exists
1–2 weeksWhat systems there are, what they do, who uses them and what hurts today.
- 2
Requirements and decision criteria
1 weekWe state explicitly what "good" means for this system, before choosing.
- 3
Design and options
2–3 weeksWe build the architecture and compare alternatives against the same criteria.
- 4
Review and specification
1–2 weeksWe present, adjust for objections, and deliver the final documentation.
What you supply
- Access to documentation of current systems and to the people who administer them.
- An indicative budget and time horizon — without them the architecture cannot be realistic.
- Any compliance requirements specific to your sector.
- Real volumes: users, transactions per day, database size, expected growth.
- A decision-maker who can approve the trade-offs between cost and availability.
What it costs
Price depends on how many systems are in scope and how strict the availability requirements are. The delivery is a set of documents, at a fixed price agreed in advance.
Architecture for a single system or a single migration
per project
3–4 weeks
Includes
- Functional and non-functional requirements
- Context and container diagrams
- One argued technology option with a 5-year cost
- Implementation specification
Landscape architecture: several systems and the integrations between them
per project
5–7 weeks
Includes
- Everything above, across the whole application landscape
- Data model and source of truth for each entity
- Security and segmentation architecture
- Availability and recovery plan with agreed objectives
- Comparison of two or three technology options
Review of an existing architecture (second opinion)
per project
2 weeks
Includes
- Analysis of the documentation and the running system
- Architectural risk list ordered by consequence
- Remediation recommendations with estimated effort
Indicative prices, excluding VAT. If the implementation is subsequently done with us, half the design cost is credited against the first implementation stage.
Frequently asked questions
How is IT architecture design different from ordinary consulting?+
By the deliverable. Consulting produces recommendations; architecture design produces executable documents: diagrams, a data model, non-functional requirements with numbers, and a specification you can use to request comparable quotes. If somebody else builds the system, they have everything they need.
What does designing an IT architecture cost?+
From €3,800 for a single system or migration, and from €8,900 for an application landscape with several integrated systems. A review of an existing architecture, as a second opinion, starts at €1,900.
Are you vendor-neutral?+
Yes, and that is why this service exists separately from implementation. We compare options against the same criteria, publish the five-year cost including the exit cost, and write explicitly when an option is better than the one we could implement ourselves.
What if another supplier does the implementation?+
That is a perfectly acceptable outcome and the documentation is written for it. On request we take part in evaluating the quotes you receive and in the technical acceptance of the work, as a separate service charged by the day.
Who should take part from our side?+
A business decision-maker who can say what an hour of downtime costs, the administrator who knows the current systems, and whoever is responsible for data protection, if that role exists. Without the first, availability requirements stay guesses.
Related services
Cloud migration
We move servers, applications and data to the cloud inside an agreed downtime window, with a way back prepared.
IT infrastructure support & maintenance
We look after servers, network, workstations and backup — in the cloud, in your server room, or both — with response times written into the contract.
Custom software development
We build the application you need only when there isn't already one that does the job more cheaply.
Shall we talk about your project?
Thirty minutes, no obligation, at the end of which you know whether we can help and roughly what budget it takes.