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A growing number of organizations are moving to a service-oriented architecture (SOA) as they discover the potential benefits, such as the ability to more efficiently link software applications by standardizing the way applications share information.

According to an SOA study conducted in late 2006 by AMR Research Inc., Boston, 81 percent of the 200 companies surveyed said they planned to evaluate or deploy SOA within the next 24 months. Slightly more than one-third of the companies said they had already launched at least one project using SOA.

The potential gains from deploying SOA are compelling. They include:

• Simplified integration — disparate applications can be linked by developing standardized SOA services.
• Increased reuse of IT resources — application components exposed as SOA services can be reused, saving resources.
• Improved agility — organizations can more rapidly create or revamp business processes in response to marketplace changes using services.

Given these potential benefits, organizations might be tempted to launch multiple SOA initiatives without real planning. But since the move to SOA can represent a major change, it makes sense to launch a limited, low-risk SOA project — building a service framework around a few applications — before rolling out SOA more broadly in the enterprise.

Once SOA has been successfully deployed on a small scale, IT should get buy-in for a broader rollout from senior business executives and line-of-business managers. In addition, the organization should develop a broad SOA strategy that outlines its business goals and determines how a services architecture can help meet those objectives.

One of the key issues in developing a SOA strategy is to determine where services-based applications can best be used to help enhance processes. Another consideration is whether to develop services from scratch or to extend existing applications to a service-oriented environment.

As part of the SOA strategy, organizations might consider creating an SOA “center of excellence” staffed with IT and businesspeople who help choose the standards and products to be used by the organization and also provide guidance in planning and developing the SOA environment. The center can also keep tabs on the latest market developments regarding SOA and help share lessons learned and best practices as SOA is deployed in various departments.

IT, or an SOA strategy committee, should communicate on a regular basis about SOA developments and successes within the organization, via an internal Web site or some other vehicle, to let people in the organization know how the move to SOA is progressing.

As with any major technology initiative, it’s important to measure the benefits derived from SOA as it is being implemented more broadly. Is there increased application reuse? Does it take less time and fewer resources to integrate applications? Has the organization saved money because of SOA?

With a well-planned strategy that includes sharing best practices and measuring results, organizations can give themselves a better chance of successfully moving to SOA and reaping the benefits.

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