SOA and Business

SOA is for business enablement. It is for business to help manage IT assets more effectively and efficiently.

IT assets in general may be viewed from three perspectives.

1. Enterprise
2. Application
3. Product

Enterprise perspective include IT assets at inter and intra enterprise level. It considers Business value of IT assets on enterprise level; so it’s effects is also enterprise level. This perspective is generally elaborated in terms of inter and intra enterprise integration. This perspective is generally taken care by CIO and CTO level while deciding enterprise wide IT strategy. Enterprise Architects also play major role in shaping this perspective.

Application perspective limits IT assets within the boundaries of application – off the shelf or custom-made. This perspective considers Application or its significant functionality as service. This perspective makes sense to VP Engineering and CTO. This perspective gains significance in case of purchasing new enterprise application.

Product perspective becomes very important for product developing companies. This perspective focuses on the services offered within a product. Proper usage of this perspective helps in construction of robust and flexible product/product family. This perspective assumes significance for Technical Architects.

All three perspectives help business to save on cost and decreasing the recurring expenses in terms of maintenance & support. They also helps in reducing time to market.

SOA also brings technological breakthroughs which helps in cost saving and fasten the introduction of products in market.

1. Increased reusability of components/services.
2. Ease in integration – inter and intra enterprise.
3. Increased pace of development and adjusting IT assets as business evolve.
4. Facilitation of incremental construction (architecture, design & development) of IT assets.
5. Facilitation of geographically dispersed development in varying time zones.
6. Facilitation in outsourcing/off shoring the IT assets – construction and maintenance & support.
7. Facelift of legacy application and integration of them in modern IT landscapes.
8. Increased utilization of human resources.
9. Reduced and managed risk with respect to legacy IT assets and resources.