Architects will be the glue that binds IT to business strategy, and service-oriented architecture (SOA) is one example of the "new wave" of IT delivering business value by cutting operational costs.

"Architects are good at documenting overall systems and the overall data architecture, but have traditionally had a terrible time enforcing the project in a large organization, the problem in the industry at the moment," David Butler (vice president of Systinet for services firm Mercury) said.

Cross said he has seen this trend emerging in the industry over the past 18 months. Hiring an architect to drive that synergy is part and parcel of the shift. "CIOs see architecture as further cementing business and IT," Andy Cross, managing director of technology recruitment company Ambition said.

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Prashanth Rai