July 1st, 2008
Ten ways to tell it’s not SOA
Are we having fun yet? I’ve talked plenty about companies implementing JBOWS (Just a Bunch of Web Services) versus full-throttle SOA, but is there a way to tell the difference?
Here are a few clues that you may be not quite as service-enabled as you thought:
1) If a vendor tells you that you need to buy a suite to get to SOA… it’s not SOA. SOA means complete freedom from suites and integrated packages.
2) If a vendor is trying to sell you hardware… it’s not SOA. Enough said.
3) If you’re sending out email inquiries or making phone calls to find out what services are out there…. it’s not SOA. Registries and repositories are essential for service discovery and validation.
4) If nobody’s sharing services… it’s not SOA. You can have all the standardized services you can handle, but if it’s services within silos and nothing more, then it’s services in silos.
5) If developers and integrators are not being incented or persuaded to reuse services and interfaces… it’s not SOA. Without incentives or disincentives, they will keep building their own stuff.
6) If your CIO is clueless about what’s going on with shared services… it’s not SOA. To truly function, SOA-based infrastructures need to cross organizational boundaries, and it takes someone at the management level to bring these efforts together. Otherwise, again, it’s services in silos.
7) If the IT department is running the whole show… it’s not SOA. Sorry IT folks, but SOA needs to have the business heavily involved in the effort as well.
8) If it only runs one operating system or platform… it’s not SOA. SOA has nothing to do with any single OS.
9) If it replicates a SOA in place elsewhere… it’s not SOA. Every company has unique business requirements and processes, and no two SOAs will be alike.
10) If you have to rewrite or redesign code to make things run right… it’s not SOA. SOA is supposed to make rewrites unnecessary.
Qualifier: of course, there’s no such thing as a perfect SOA — the important thing is the fact a company is working toward service orientation at some level.
(Source of inspiration — James Governor’s “15 Ways to Tell It’s Not Cloud Computing“)
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.
