Industry Focus: XML/Web Services

What it is

XML/Web Services is an emerging set of standards that allows clients such as wireless devices, browsers, internet enabled appliances, and servers to discover services, and to access and share information in a standard manner.  Within an organization, XML/Web Services provides a standard for distributed computing and the integration of legacy systems.  Across organizations, it provides the foundation for collaboration across multiple vendors, systems and technologies.

Why is this important

Unlike past standards that purport to do similar things, such as CORBA, COM+, and EDI.  The underlying XML/Web Services standards are simpler, more flexible, truly open and have massive industry backing.  Of course, the continual battle for vendor propriety will persist, and yes, newer technology will alter the standards and their course.  Regardless of this, XML/Web Services is enabling technology and offers its adopters strategic advantage, increased efficiencies, and the potential to reduce complexity.  At the same time, it must be acknowledged and addressed by an organization's technology strategy to avoid being left out of collaboration and vertical integration initiatives and consequently losing significant market share.

The challenge

Companies need a viable plan for addressing XML/Web Services and access to competent, knowledgeable resources. Product plans must represent the potential benefits and reflect appropriate strategies for achieving them.  Collaboration and integration partners and influencers must be identified and their respective strategies factored into the plan. Existing services need to be wrapped and/or re-engineered. New services and capabilities need to be exposed. Architectural choices need to be made among a wealth of options ranging from specialized integration platforms to application servers to traditional development environments.  Development, testing and deployment processes  must be tuned to be effective in a highly distributed systems environment.

How we can help

ISG has a core competency in distributed systems development ranging from networking infrastructure to distributed applications to engineering processes.  We have successfully designed and implemented XML based web services integrated with messaging middleware, directory services, existing application server platforms and legacy systems.  Our work has provided us with in-depth experience in the core technologies and vendors at the heart of XML/Web Services.  We have had the opportunity to perform critical valuations of many other products and vendors.   

Technology

Some of the technologies, standards and methodologies in which we have experience are listed below:

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Last updated: 07/07/2005