SOA is a simple three-letter acronym that causes a lot of confusion. What
exactly is SOA and why is it at the forefront of IT initiatives around the
world? Interestingly, if you ask your peers what SOA means, you'll get a wide
variety of responses. Some people will talk about modular applications or
reusable components, while others will describe loose coupling or
standards-based integration. Other people will describe it as the next
generation of IT infrastructure, and invariably you will get the most
stripped-down description, "Web Services." Of course, SOA incorporates all of
these concepts, but what is missing in these definitions is the value that
SOA brings to organizations. In other words, the translation of IT benefits
to business benefits has been lost.
The va... (more)