Executive's Guide to Web Services (SOA, Service-Oriented Architecture)

Executives must continually seek to grow revenue, reduce costs, and improve operating efficiencies. Today, Web services are emerging as a critical technology for achieving these business objectives. Early adopters are deploying Web services as an integration platform to reduce costs. Web services are being used to improve the operating efficiency of relationships with customers, partners, and suppliers. And inevitably, organizations will utilize this emerging technology as a foundation for driving revenue growth by creating new business models and developing new markets. Simply put, Web services are a set of technologies and standards that will fundamentally change the way in which information technology is used within the enterprise and across organizational boundaries. Web services deliver the basic building blocks that allow the World Wide Web to take the next evolutionary step forward, into an era where the Internet is truly the de facto platform over which businesses operate. The premise of the Executive’s Guide to Web Services is that the adoption of Web services will not be based on the desire to implement a "new technology," but rather on the technology’s ability to deliver strategic business value. The authors untangle the maze of standards, concepts, and terminology that blur Web services, arming the reader with enabling concepts and providing a solid foundation and reference text with which to unleash untapped business potential. Eric Marks and Mark Werrell summarize current Web services vendors, including market positioning and capabilities of BEA Systems, IBM’s "Services on Demand," Microsoft’s ".Net," Oracle’s "Oracle Dynamic Services," and Sun Microsystems’ "Sun ONE." They explain how business and IT strategies can accommodate Web services, providing specific industry examples, solutions, and benefits. Chapters include: Standards, Concepts, and Terminology Web Services Adoption Strategic Perspective of Web Services Vertical Market Perspective of Web Services Architecting for Competitive Advantage Web Services Vendor Landscape After the false promises and financial burden of the dotcom boom and bust, many executives are understandably gun shy about new technology. This time, however, IT vendors have hit the mark, delivering tools that do not claim to reinvent the practice of business, but simply make it smoother, quicker, and more efficient. The Executive’s Guide to Web Services is essential reading for CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, and all business leaders.