Solution architecture
Get the design right before the expensive part starts.
The costliest mistakes in software are made before any code is written: the wrong platform, a system that cannot grow, a vendor contract that locks you in, or three tools bought to do one job. Solution architecture is the work of deciding how the pieces should fit, and writing it down clearly enough that any competent team can build it. Infinitech provides that as an independent software architecture consultant in Auckland, with no product to sell you.
What an architecture engagement produces
A written design, in language a business owner can read and an engineer can build from. It describes the systems involved, how data moves between them, who can see what, what runs where, what it costs to operate each month, and how it would be extended later. It names the risks honestly and what to do about each.
Alongside it comes a roadmap: what to build first, what can wait, and what should never be built because something off the shelf does it well enough. Where a build is recommended, the design doubles as the scope for a fixed-price quote, from Infinitech or anyone else.
Build vs buy, answered with numbers
Most decisions come down to this question, and most businesses answer it on instinct. We answer it with a comparison: the subscription cost over five years against the build cost plus hosting and maintenance, the features you would actually use against the ones you would pay for, and the exit cost if you ever need to leave. Often the right answer is a mix: buy the commodity parts, build the piece that makes you different.
A second opinion on a proposal
If a vendor or agency has quoted you for a system, an independent review before you sign is cheap insurance. We read the proposal, the contract and the technical approach and tell you plainly what is sound, what is vague, what is over-engineered, and what questions to put back to them. The same applies to technical due diligence when you are buying a business whose value sits in its software.
A fractional CTO, without the full-time hire
Many growing businesses need a few hours a month of senior technical judgement, not a chief technology officer on payroll. Infinitech offers that as a fractional CTO service on a retainer: a standing monthly block for design questions, vendor conversations, reviewing your developers' work, and keeping the roadmap current as the business changes.
Questions people ask
Before you get in touch
- How long does an architecture engagement take?
- A focused design for one system typically takes two to three weeks, including conversations with the people who will use it. A review of a vendor proposal can be turned around in days.
- Do you have to build what you design?
- No. The design is written so that any capable team can build from it, and you are free to take it to market. Many clients do ask Infinitech to build, because the fixed-price quote is already implicit in the design.
- Are you tied to any vendor or platform?
- No. Infinitech sells no software and takes no commissions, so the recommendation is based on what fits your business, your budget and your staff.
- What does a fractional CTO cost in NZ?
- A standing monthly block of senior time, agreed up front, is a fraction of a full-time salary and can be stopped with a month's notice. The size of the block depends on how much is in flight; most businesses start with a few hours a month and adjust.
- What if we already have developers?
- Then architecture is often the most valuable thing to bring in from outside: a senior design and review layer that lets your existing team build with confidence.
Next step
Tell us what is slowing the business down.
A short description is enough. You will hear back from the engineer who would do the work, within one business day.