Hire a Dynamics 365 Solution Architect Who Keeps the Whole Thing Coherent
Add a certified Dynamics 365 solution architect to your programme — owning the end-to-end design: data model, integration patterns, security, licensing, ALM and the technical decisions that keep a multi-app estate scalable and Microsoft-supportable. From $5,000/month, with a one-week risk-free trial.
What does a Dynamics 365 solution architect do?
A Dynamics 365 solution architect owns the technical design of the whole solution — not one module, but how every part fits together. They translate business requirements into a coherent architecture: the Dataverse and F&O data model, integration patterns to surrounding systems, security and licensing strategy, environment and ALM approach, and the build-vs-configure decisions that keep the estate scalable and upgrade-safe. They set standards for developers, run design authority, align the programme to Microsoft’s Success by Design framework, and are the person accountable when someone asks “will this still work at ten times the volume, and will Microsoft still support it?” PraviMinds places certified solution architects — averaging 12+ years and multiple full-lifecycle implementations — vetted through our own delivery. Most start within one to two weeks, priced 40–60% below equivalent US/UK day rates.
- End-to-end solution design across CE, F&O, Business Central and the Power Platform.
- Data model, integration architecture, security and licensing strategy in one coherent design.
- Design authority and technical standards for your developers and partners.
- Success by Design alignment, environment strategy and ALM governance.
- Start in 1–2 weeks at 40–60% below US/UK day rates, with a one-week risk-free trial.
- Backed by a Microsoft partner practice — senior peers to pressure-test every major decision.
What a Dynamics 365 solution architect owns
The decisions that are expensive to get wrong — and nearly impossible to reverse once a programme is live.
Solution & data architecture
The Dataverse / F&O data model, entity relationships, ownership and the overall solution blueprint that everything else hangs from.
Integration architecture
Patterns, middleware and contracts for connecting Dynamics to ERP, finance, telephony, portals and third-party systems at scale.
Security & compliance
Role-based and field-level security, Entra ID, tenant strategy, data residency and GDPR/UK-EU compliance by design.
Licensing & cost strategy
The right mix of apps, capacities and licences — avoiding both over-licensing and painful under-provisioning.
Environment & ALM strategy
Environment topology, managed solutions, branching, pipelines and release strategy across the programme.
Design authority & standards
Technical standards, design reviews and the build-vs-configure calls that keep developers and partners aligned.
Signs it is time to bring in a solution architect
Where an architect fits in your team
A solution architect
- Owns the whole-solution technical design
- Sets standards and runs design authority
- Decides integration, security and licensing strategy
- Is accountable for scalability and supportability
- Guides consultants and developers
Consultants & developers
- Consultants design and configure their module
- Developers build within the architect’s design
- Both work to the standards the architect sets
- Focused on their area, not the whole estate
- Escalate cross-cutting decisions upward
On a small project a senior consultant may cover architecture too. On anything multi-app, multi-system or high-volume, a dedicated architect is what keeps the parts coherent. Need the delivery layer as well? Hire consultants or developers.
Hire the way your programme needs architecture
Dedicated architect (full-time)
Full-time design ownership across a major programme on a simple monthly rate — best for multi-app, multi-system rollouts.
Fractional architect
Part-time design authority — design reviews, key decisions and standards — the most common way to buy senior architecture without a full head.
Design & review engagement
A fixed-scope architecture blueprint or independent design review delivered against milestones at a fixed price.
Architect-led pod
Architect + consultants + developers + QA as one accountable squad for an end-to-end implementation.
Need an independent second opinion?
Many clients start with a fixed-scope architecture review — an independent read on a partner’s design, an integration plan or a scaling concern — before deciding on a longer engagement.
Hire an architect in 4 steps — risk free
Share your programme
Tell us your apps, systems, scale and the architectural decision or risk you are facing.
Get profiles in 48h
We send 2–3 matched, vetted architect profiles with real full-lifecycle experience.
Interview & trial
Interview your shortlist, then run a one-week risk-free trial. Not the fit? You owe nothing.
Scale up or down
Full-time, fractional or review-based — simple monthly billing, 30-day notice.
Dedicated architect vs Big-4 vs freelancer vs local hire
| Factor | PraviMinds dedicated | Big-4 / large SI | Freelancer | Local full-time hire |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $5,000–9,000 | $30,000–55,000 | $8,000–14,000 | $14,000–22,000 + benefits |
| Time to start | 1–2 weeks | 1–3 months | Days — quality varies | 3–6 months |
| Full-lifecycle depth | Multiple implementations | Deep, at a price | Varies wildly | Very hard to hire |
| Independence | Vendor-neutral advice | Sells its own delivery | Independent | Internal |
| Peer support | Architect peer group behind them | Team, at a price | Alone | Often the only architect |
| Scale up / down | Monthly, 30-day notice | Change-order heavy | Per contract | Hiring & redundancy cost |
What it costs to hire a Dynamics 365 solution architect
Transparent monthly rates. A dedicated PraviMinds solution architect starts at $5,000/month full-time; fractional and review-based engagements cost less because you buy only the architecture time you need. Scope, programme size and full-time vs fractional move the number.
Dedicated architect
Full-time design ownership across a major programme, in your timezone with a peer group behind them.
Part-time design authority
Design reviews, key decisions and standards a few days a month — senior architecture without a full head.
Architecture review
An independent blueprint or design review delivered against a defined scope and milestones.
Against a Big-4 the saving is dramatic, and the advice is vendor-neutral rather than a route to selling more delivery. Against a local hire, senior D365 architects are among the hardest roles to recruit at all — a dedicated or fractional architect gives you that seniority in weeks, not months, with a peer group to pressure-test the big calls. Most clients buy fractional architecture; full-time makes sense only on large, active programmes.
What every architect engagement includes
How we vet every solution architect we send
Architecture design exercise
A real design problem — data model, integration and security for a multi-app scenario — not a quiz.
Full-lifecycle track record
Candidates prove multiple implementations owned end to end, including the hard scaling and integration calls.
Supportability judgment
We test whether they keep designs inside Microsoft best practice and Success by Design, not clever but brittle.
Leadership & communication
Screened for the ability to run design authority and align developers, partners and business stakeholders.
Verified references
We validate real architecture ownership on live programmes — a proven record, not a title.
Backed by the practice
An architect peer group behind every architect to pressure-test major decisions — never alone.
What clients say about our architects
“Our PraviMinds architect reviewed a partner design we were about to sign off — and caught an integration pattern that would have collapsed at scale. That one review saved the programme.”
“Fractional two days a week was exactly right — senior design authority over our developers without the cost of a full-time architect we could never have hired anyway.”
Why hire a solution architect from PraviMinds
⚡ Senior, fast
Full-lifecycle architects available in weeks — a role most companies cannot hire locally at all.
🎯 Vendor-neutral
Advice in your interest, not a funnel to sell more delivery.
🧩 Supportable by design
Architectures that stay inside Microsoft best practice and survive upgrades and scale.
👥 A peer group behind them
Every major decision is pressure-tested by our architecture practice — never one person guessing.
🔄 Fractional or full-time
Buy exactly the architecture time you need — review, part-time or dedicated.
💴 40–60% below US/UK rates
Senior architecture at a fraction of local or SI cost, with transparent pricing.
Hiring FAQs
What does a Dynamics 365 solution architect do that a consultant does not?
A consultant designs and configures within a module; an architect owns the whole-solution technical design — data model, integration, security, licensing and ALM — and is accountable for scalability and supportability across the estate. On multi-app or multi-system programmes you need both.
Can I hire an architect part-time or just for a review?
Yes — fractional (a few days a month) and fixed-scope architecture reviews are the most common engagements. Many clients buy a design review first, then decide on longer involvement.
How quickly can your architects start?
Most engagements begin within one to two weeks. After a short discovery call we send 2–3 matched, vetted profiles within 48 hours; once you interview and approve, onboarding and a one-week trial follow immediately.
How much does it cost to hire a solution architect?
A dedicated architect starts at $5,000/month full-time; fractional and review engagements cost less because you buy only the time you need — roughly 40–60% below US/UK day rates and a fraction of Big-4 rates.
Can your architect review a partner’s design independently?
Yes — independent design reviews are core work. We give vendor-neutral, documented findings on data model, integration, security, licensing and scalability, with recommended actions.
Which Dynamics 365 areas do your architects cover?
Customer Engagement, Finance & Operations, Business Central and the Power Platform, plus Azure integration, security and licensing — the full estate, not one module.
What if the architect isn’t a good fit?
The first week is a risk-free trial, and after that we replace with a better match at no cost. An architecture peer group stands behind every engagement.
Related Dynamics 365 services
Your next solution architect is 48 hours away
Tell us the programme, the systems and the decision you need owned. We will send 2–3 vetted, matched architect profiles within 48 hours — interview them, trial them for a week, and only pay when you are happy.