Path to become SharePoint Architect....MicroSoft recommendations...

Wanna be a SharePoint architect....learn these topics and implement when working with a client..

Must Understand the Core:

• IIS 6/7
• Windows Server 2003/2008
• DNS/WINS (Name Resolution)
• TCP/IP & other network considerations
• SQL Server 2005 Advanced Administration (Backup, Monitoring, Logshipping or Database Mirroring)
• Basic Firewall rules and Proxy
• IT Infrastructure Design
• Hardware Acquisition (RAM, CPU, Disk I/O, and other hardware considerations)
• Performance Monitoring
• Capacity Planning
• Growth Management
• Workflow (Windows Workflow Foundation)
• Client Troubleshooting & Support: IE, Firefox, Safari, Office XP, 2003, 2007, etc...
• HTML & Client side scripting (Javascript, AJAX, DHTML, XSL, XSLT, XHTML)
• Exchange and SMTP integration (Inbound and Outbound email including contact objects)
• High Availability: Microsoft Cluster Services, Windows Network Load Balancing
• Storage: Appliances, HBAs, SANs, Archive Storage
• Backup Solutions: Various Tape, Hardware and software snapshots, software nearline and offline storage (soon to add DPM 2007)
• Hardware load balancing, ISA Secure Web Publishing
• IAG (Internet Application Gateway) Whale Communications
• Single Sign on integration
• Connection Monitoring & Troubleshooting (ADO.NET, Web Services, CDO)
• Global Deployments - Multi farm deployments
• Dev, Test, Staging, Production - Staged deployments
• MOF, ITIL, MSF Frameworks and strong understanding of the development life cycle
• Virtualization - Virtual Server 2005, Virtual PC, VMWare

Solutions:

• Internet Publishing
• Internet Community Portal
• Intranet Central Search Portal
• Intranet Departmental Dashboard Portal
• Intranet Collaboration
• Business Process Management
• Extranet Collaboration
• Document Management
• Records repository
• BI Solutions
• Search Center or Intranet and Internet Search Solutions
• Reports Center
• Mobile Solutions
• Remote employee solutions
• Multi lingual solutions
• Project Server
• Web 2.0 Solution: Blogs, Wikis, Social Networking (Profiles & My Sites)

Extended

• AD (Group Policies, Security Groups, DLs, Contacts, authentication, and attributes for profile import)
• Desktop Management (IE settings, Office deployment, storage and collaboration considerations)
• MOM Systems Center Operations Monitoring of performance and system health of servers and dependencies
• WAN and Network performance testing and considerations, (minimum performance levels) caching
• File Services & (extremely light... policy SMS and Patching considerations)
• Antivirus management solutions like Forefront
• Presence Integration (LCS, Office Live Communication Server, SMTP and SIP)
• Understanding and supporting Dev: ASP.NET, C#, Assemblies, GAC, Bin, web.config, web parts, web part connections, missing assemblies
• MIIS in cross forest or resource forest scenarios or dynamic security groups
• Migration Skills: Public Folders, Documentum, Lotus Notes, CMS, WebSphere

Interop and Integration

• Office Interoperability (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Project Server deployment
• Microsoft Dynamics (CRM, ERP, AXAPTA, GreatPlains, etc...)
• Infopath forms troubleshooting and basic design skills (XML, HTML)
• Visio integration
• Biztalk
• SharePoint Designer for workflows, CSS, Design, etc...
• Reporting and Analysis Integration: SQL Reporting Services, SQL Analysis Services
• SAP integration with Duet
• BDC Siebel web services integration
• Oracle Financials integration in BDC and Excel Services
• Other ADO.NET BDC connections: includes various CRM, ERP, DBMS
• Commerce integration in Internet sites
• Web Services integration
• Documentum, WebSphere
• Search/Indexing Integration
• Data warehouses RDBMS
• Single Sign on solutions and integration with client certificates, smart cards, and 2 factor auth
• N tiered web apps, web services, and stores
• Samba and NFS?

Cheers!!!