By Holt Hackney
Andy Ruth is the founder of Sustainable Evolution and a visionary leader in technology and workforce development.
With a deep understanding of architecture, cloud environments, and agile methodologies, he has built a reputation as a subject matter expert and educator. In particular, his groundbreaking work on certification programs like the Microsoft Certified Engineer (MCSE), Microsoft Certified Architect (MCA), Comptia’s A+, Network+, Security+, and CTT+, Iasa’s CITA-P and CITA-D, and contributions to Amazon Web Services (AWS) frameworks, whitepapers, reference architectures, and product and product API content have positioned him as a leader in workforce development.
In 2008, Ruth decided to merge his love for technology and his passion for empowering others by founding Sustainable Evolution (SE), a consultancy. SE is “focused on workforce development and training for technologists. SE creates apprenticeship programs, builds career paths, and fosters lifelong learning opportunities for professionals across the globe.”
That service approach is just another reason he has become a valued member of the CAF, and an obvious candidate for the following interview below:
Question: Tell us about your experience in technology and architecture?
Answer: I started in IT working on flight simulators around 1978, with a goal of working in every role and every industry, on as many different technologies as possible. I was the proverbial squirrel chasing the latest shiny thing until I shifted gears in the late 1990s. At that point, I had moved away from hands-on technology and into management and leadership of technologists—so I hit the reset button and shifted back toward my passions.
As for architecture, I’ve been involved for about 20 years, sometimes practicing architecture directly, but mostly forming and evolving the architecture profession and the tools architects use. My somewhat unusual journey began around 2005, when I created and managed the Microsoft Certified Architect (MCA) certification program. I then moved into Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS) as the Role Owner for consulting architects and engineers.
From there, I joined Paul Preiss at Iasa to help create the training and certification programs that have grown into what Iasa is today. In the early 2010s, I served as a consultant on Microsoft’s internal IT Enterprise Architecture team—right as Azure was being created. At the time, we were persuading teams to move from traditional datacenter equipment to Azure-based assets. Believe it or not, internal Microsoft technologists have strong opinions, so my human-dynamics skills grew by three sizes during that period.
At the same time, we were shifting from traditional (read: old) development planning and processes to agile delivery, while formalizing governance and M&A. The old approach was annual planning, up-front, CapEx-heavy, project-based funding with waterfall governance and fixed scope/fixed budget projects that persisted even when the original need disappeared. We were introducing lean budgeting, just-in-time planning, and incremental, product-based funding. Most people thought we had lost our minds and would fail if they could just wait us out. Barry Briggs, however, had no intention of failing—and of course, he didn’t. I don’t think he has ever failed to accomplish a mission, and I still look to him for sage advice.
After that, I continued my consulting business, trying to focus more on technical writing and training creation than consulting. Eventually, I was pulled into Amazon’s gravity field and worked there for about five years. AWS years can be compared to dog years, and most people stay for about two. While there, I worked with AWS consulting architects as the lead author for the original Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF). I later moved to the Solutions Architecture leadership team in Seattle and then to a product team (AWS Marketplace) to explore AWS’s approach to DevSecOps.
My focus eventually returned to my consulting company. I also volunteered with The Open Group on TOGAF, DPBoK, and Zero Trust initiatives, and helped launch a digital enterprise page on their main website. Feeling somewhat embarrassed by my atrophied technical skill set, I joined—and still work with—the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) on compliance certification programs for cloud-based and AI-based solutions. As a result, my technical deep dive has shifted toward security for AI solutions.
Q: How did you get your start in technology?
A: As a school-aged kid, I took everything apart at home, built a Star Trek phaser by connecting an extension cord to either end of a carbon rod pulled from a battery, and built a working laser for a high-school science project. That lit my fire for technology.
I joined the U.S. Navy, where I learned basic electricity and electronics, vacuum tube theory, and electrical engineering, with a focus on computer and software engineering. Working on flight simulators and various military technologies inspired me to pursue an agile, ever-changing career. If you want a yacht and a mansion, this is not a recommended path.
Q: What do you like most about your current work?
A: I love variety and change. It’s hard to think of anything with more variance right now than AI solutions and their associated security concerns. I love technology and detailed technical work, and I’m back in it deeply, focusing on how to design and operate AI solutions securely. Cloud Security Alliance fulfills my need to interact with other geeks and dive deep.
On the flip side, I’m most passionate about growing others. Sustainable Evolution allows me to continue creating training that professionals at all levels use to guide and accelerate their career trajectories. While that’s rewarding, my greatest satisfaction comes from helping high-school and college-aged students identify their strengths, weaknesses, passions, and skills—and then take defined steps into their careers.
Q: Why did you join the Chief Architect Forum (CAF)?
A: Peer pressure. People in my network joined, and I could see the value the Chief Architect Forum brings to the community. How could I not?
Q: What have been some unexpected benefits of belonging to CAF?
A: Honestly, none come immediately to mind. I expected exposure to and interaction with some of the best practitioners working today, and CAF has fully delivered on that expectation.
Q: What’s one trend or challenge architects should pay more attention to right now, and why?
A: Watch out for growing a fuzzy squirrel tail. Architects are squirrels—we chase shiny new technologies—and AI evolution has many of us captivated. When that happens, we can get fast and loose with business alignment and business value. We stop intentionally designing for specific quality attributes, secure operations, tooling for rapid intrusion detection, mitigation, and recovery, and telemetry that provides organizational transparency. Look yourself in the mirror each day and ask whether you’re doing that.
The good news is that nearly every AI conversation I hear includes concern about power consumption. I’m not sure whether that’s driven by regulation around datacenter power prioritization during shortages or environmental concerns—but I like it.
Q: What’s one piece of advice you’d give someone aspiring to move into an architecture role?
A; If you can’t code in current environments, learn how—and grow your business and industry skills. But never let your technical skills atrophy. Many architects focus on business and industry knowledge at the expense of hands-on technical capability, sometimes out of the mistaken belief that they no longer need to get their hands dirty. Don’t do that. And even if business finance, governance, or soliciting feedback on your designs feels like leg day at the gym, spend time there. Hating it is a sure sign you need it.