SOA, RIA and the Human Factor

So I finally found an article that tells it like it is. I am shocked at such tactless honesty! Who would have thought anyone would say such a thing out loud in public!!

"One reason an organization might pursue Service-Oriented Architectures is to help them get promoted. "

I would NEVER have guessed that anyone would try to push for such a change for so selfish a reason as career goals. NOT!

So he goes on to describe how hard or easy it might be depending on where you are in the organization. I love the sarcasm in this article. But he is just pointing out realities. This stuff really happens. I have seen my own organization do it, though not with SOA.

Ultimately he provides a realistic view of how to approach the process of making a decision to transform to SOA or not. An interesting read.

http://soa.sys-con.com/read/396343.htm

New Adventures in Spin

Open XML seems to be moving toward a standard. Extremists are getting less and less extreme.

Issues that are left include ones that just need clarification in the text. Otherwise known as "wordsmithing". Some things, however, are going to involve sytax additions.

For the article I read, the blogger was asked to brief the Bureau of Indian Standards. He indicated it was a very interesting opportunity. Lots of good questions.

One of the problems in this standardization process is trying to build a standard for pre-existing technologies. This standard does not want to transform the spec.

"The best-practice for a fast-tracked standard is that the spec clearly describes the technology under consideration warts and all, avoids unnecessary platform dependencies (which is not to say that it need not describe platform-specific features) and that it does so in a way that allows maintenance and subsequent improvements."

The writer didn't feel that the reviews would yield "yes" or "no" votes. Instead they will get "yes with comments". Should be fun. I hate that part.

Service-Oriented Architectures and Business

Well, maybe they don't mix after all. Or if they do, the business world isn't getting it.

How soon will SOA be a part of the way we do business? According to IBM and the SOA Consortium, we'll see a strong rise in the top companies in the next three years. Saugatuck Technology and Jack van Hoof say it will take at least 10 years before we are really there.

The answer could lie somewhere in the middle. I believe it will depend on how much change is needed in current architectures to meet this as a goal. And more important, should SOA be a goal of business? Will business be able to compute and demonstrate the ROI for SOA? The risks for IT projects where the intent is contribute to SOA will be an inability to prove ROI. And it will be extremely difficult for IT departments to define their business case to support decisions in the direction of SOA.

Ultimately the question will come down to: SOA - savior or black hole?

Introduction - VoIP

I have only just figured out that I need to do a blog. I thought was supposed to add to the RSS feed multiple times each week.

For my first attempt, I am combining two classes and discussing Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). An old "friend", Deutche Telecom, is investing in a company that provides phone services over the Internet. The arrangement with Jajah will give Deutche Telecom a test bed that provides them with the opportunity to check out new telecom revenue generators. Jajah gets the backing of one of the largest telecom companies in the world.

Jajah has a tough road ahead of it. It is still small, and it is facing lots of competition. Deutche Telecom has to find ways to maintain revenue since so many clients are moving away from traditional phone services.

Good luck to both. Hopefully Deutche Telecom is doing better with its reputation than it was when I was living in Germany!