Next Generation Application Integration: From Simple Information to Web Services

A Huge Shift in Thinking

The movement toward verticalization is nothing new, but it is a new trend in the world of application integration. The challenge is the shift in thinking. Implementing vertical subsystems, in most cases, means implementing business applications—not general-purpose application integration technology. This is a huge change from how traditional technology and service providers approached application integration, and it will require the technologist to work with the domain experts to create the ultimate solution. Moreover, we also need to understand that this is complex stuff that requires complete solutions. Simply providing connection into a “standards cloud” (e.g., ebXML) does not make a vertical subsystem. You must consider ...