SOA is Here! Is Your Company Ready?

Typical systems architectures such as that shown in Figure 1 have several important disadvantages when trying to implement agile, adaptable systems. In the figure, all of the systems are tightly coupled with one another. Tight coupling basically means that system interfaces are proprietary, unique and single-use; they only serve one application's specific needs. In addition, protocols for the interfaces are explicit and technology-dependent. This means that there is absolutely no transparency between systems.

This leads to constant reinvention of similar programs and functions. For example, every function that retrieves a specific piece of information is duplicated in every one of the application systems. Each platform must implement its own application-specific method of retrieving and using the same enterprise data.

What will be the result of implementing this type of architecture if additional enterprise information becomes necessary to communicate among all of these systems? Every one of the interfaces between these systems must be changed to accommodate the new enterprise information that must be shared. This is terribly inefficient and costs a significant amount of both time and money.

Link