Service Oriented Architecture Field Guide for Executives

6.4. TECHNOLOGY SECTOR

In case the technology sector did not have enough acronyms to contend with, nearly every technology industry has adopted SOA and the basket of acronyms that comes with it (XML, SOAP, WSDL, UDDI, BPEL, BPM, WS-Security, WS-Policy, etc.). Two technology industries have been selected for closer examination: e-commerce and the telecommunications industry.

E-commerce

Amazon.com is another early pioneer for service oriented solutions.^[] Long before the SOA buzzword existed, Amazon was moving toward a more loosely coupled, standards-based, and layered architectural model. The end result is a layered, transactional system that supports its one million partners and 60 million customers. Amazon.com has become a big believer in the power of service orientation, both as a technology enabler and as an organizational aligner.

eBay-owned PayPal has seen tremendous value in service orientation.^[] The types of tender potentially used for online payments are quite varied:

• Credit/debit

• Gift

• Loyalty programs

• Bank draft/ACH (automated clearinghouse, i.e., e-check)

• Online funds (PayPal balance)

Each tender has a unique workflow, its own security requirements, different policies and restrictions, and its own user interface. Once a retailer has overcome the hurdle of accepting payment, there is the additional challenge of integrating the various providers with its own customized protocols, data formats, and transaction semantics.^[] Service orientation is critical in order to achieve ...