October 7th, 2007
Another view: Yes, SOA can be 'boxed'
One thing you’ve read plenty of times here at this blogsite, as well as plenty of other places, is that SOA doesn’t come in a “box.”
Is the notion that SOA ‘doesn’t come in a box’ just vendor FUD?
Jack van Hoof, however, says wait a minute, hold that thought. Perhaps the idea of buying SOA in a box isn’t so far-fetched. Maybe the view that SOA doesn’t come in a box is even a bunch of infrastructure vendor FUD.
There are a number of packages emerging that offer all the essential ingredients of SOA, Jack points out. ERP vendors such as SAP “offer a service bus, service registry, events registry, canonical data management, business processes, services deployments, business monitoring, business process management, security… out-of-the-box. Yes, of course the implementation must be tuned and configured. But it’s all there, out-of-the-box.”
He predicts that vendors offering such ready-to-go packages will eventually win out over those offering semi-incomplete infrastructures. “Mid-size companies that fully rely on ERP-solutions will be the first companies with a full-fledged SOA in place. The big enterprises relying on custom development will need much more years to reach the same level of SOA maturity.”
Jack raises some good points, and it’s a positive trend that vendors are now offering more and more pieces of the puzzle.
Plus, it should be added that many enterprises, if not most, have a comfort zone in dealing with a single master vendor, and many tend to stay the course with their vendors’ SOA roadmaps. SOA is a transformative process reshaping the entire enterprise, and executives are not likely to want to go it alone without a partner that has experience that can be imparted from other customer experiences.
However, the idea of buying all SOA from one vendor flies in the face of the ultimate meaning and purpose of SOA — the ability to pick and choose tools, applications and services from any and all vendors. SOA is supposed to mean the end of vendor lock-in.
But, more importantly, service-oriented architecture is an architecture, and even more so, a philosophy; a new way of doing things. That’s what separates SOA from other initiatives — technology is the enabler, but not the end goal. Yes, you can buy all the tools you may need in a single box. But SOA isn’t in the tools; it’s what you do with those tools.
A company can plunk down millions on a data warehouse. But can it adequately identify which data sources to leverage that will provide the greatest value? Can it get its employees and partners to use the data warehouse to the point where it recoups the investment? How is that all governed?
Anyone with enough money can buy all of same pieces of movie-making equipment that Steven Spielberg has in his studio, for example. But does that mean they’ll be able to crank out another Schindler’s List or ET?
Yes, offering SOA tools in a box is a step forward, and will assist many businesses in their efforts to move to service-orientation. And, it’s likely many enterprises will by relying heavily on a selected vendor/partner to guide it through the process. Others will rely on an assortment of solutions, and build much of their own SOA.
Which approach is appropriate? All of the above — SOA is build, SOA is buy. That’s the beauty of the architecture.
But vendor offerings are limited to tools and templates. Good SOA is ultimately the product of enlightened and savvy management, smart and well-trained people, and competitive drive. And that part will never come in a box.
Joe McKendrick is an author and consultant with deep knowledge and insights regarding trends and developments in the technology industry. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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