SOA (service-oriented architecture)
A service-oriented architecture is a way of connecting applications across a network via a common communications protocol. In theory, this lets developers treat applications as network services that can be chained together to create a complex business processes more quickly.
CORBA-based object request brokers are one example of a service-oriented architecture.
More recently, companies have been using Web services to connect applications.
A selling point of an SOA is code reuse - developers have only to figure out the interfaces for existing applications, rather than writing new applications from scratch each time new business rules are developed.
"Building toward a common standardized SOA gives us huge benefits for reusability across the company," says Rick Wiseman, CTO for Galileo, a travel-booking service that is building applications based on the concept. "As new product requirements come about, you don't have to start from a whiteboard anymore. You can assemble products from existing components."
Additional resources
Service-Oriented Architecture: A primer
Tutorial aimed at developers. eAI Journal, 12/01.
Resurrecting the distributed app model
The service-oriented architecture promises to succeed where others have failed in building a network-friendly, reusable app architecture. Network World, 09/29/03.
Web services research center
The latest Web services news, analysis and resource links from Network World.
There are 3 comments:
SOA is it secure
By G. Tomas Corsini
I believe the SOA model can save time and money. my only question / concern, as a novice to SOA, is 'How Secure Is It' to use even a portion of someone else's code? Is there a risk of some back door allowing the writer of the code to hack into new applications which have spun off of an original SOA?
SOA
By John Masker
I was hoping for something really enlightening. For those emersed into the world of EAI and SOA, there is nothing new or value add that is not already common knowledge. It would be more interesting to hear how others have moved SOA into their organziations, it's governance, management, and subsequent realized business value/risk mitigation.
SOA primer
By candace conwell
Very readable, informative, high level overview.
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