Datasheet

8
Par t I: Get ting Started with SOA
The promise of service oriented architecture is to liberate business from
the constraints of technology, unshackling technologists and business lead-
ers from the chains they themselves have forged. (“IT workers of the world,
unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains!” as it were.) This has major
implications both for the business and for the IT structure that supports the
business.
From our perspective, one of the most important aspects of SOA is that it’s a
business approach and methodology as much as it is a technological approach
and methodology. SOA enables businesses to make business decisions sup-
ported by technology instead of making business decisions determined by
or constrained by technology. And with SOA, the folks in IT finally get to say
“yes” more often than they say “no.”
We pronounce SOA to rhyme with boa (bow-uh). Stretching it out by clearly
articulating each letter (S-O-A) is perfectly acceptable but might leave you sty-
mied when we say things like, “SOA what?”
Business Lib
Executives have come to rely on technology — in terms of reporting, text
analytics, projections, graphical representations, risk analysis, and other
analytical tools — to make informed decisions for their company. The day-
to-day operations of a company have slipped, little by little, into the hands
of IT. Quite simply, more and more of the activities of an organization are
supported by increasing levels of business process automation — whether
its business is to build ships, sell insurance, or manage cities — and since IT
implements the automation of business process, business decision makers
have become more dependent upon IT. While this increasing use of technol-
ogy has helped the business in so many ways, technology has also created
significant constraints. At many companies, business and IT management
operate in very separate worlds without the benefit of a common unifying
language. Unfortunately, as organizations become more diverse and complex
through mergers, acquisitions, globalization, and the need to manage lots
more data, the supporting IT infrastructure has become more cumbersome
and brittle after being stretched in so many different ways to keep up with all
the changes. This is not good for business, and neither is it good for IT.
We’re not advocating that business leaders should (or can) take control of
the technology from the hands of IT. Modern businesses are inextricably tied
to technology. No sizable business can function without IT — it’s as simple
as that. However, we are advocating a new world order. Indeed, we advocate
that business leaders and IT work together to create this new world order.
Together, business leaders and IT will communicate how the automated pro-
cesses of its business should be facilitated, and work together to make it a
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