Service-oriented architecture

 

+

Search Tips   |   Advanced Search

 

A service-oriented architecture (SOA) is a collection of services that communicate with each other, for example, passing data from one service to another or coordinating an activity between one or more services.

Companies want to integrate existing systems to implement Information Technology (IT) support for business processes that cover the entire business value chain. A variety of designs are used, ranging from rigid point-to-point electronic data interchange (EDI) to Web auctions. By using the Internet, companies can make their IT systems available to internal departments or external customers, but the interactions are not flexible and are without standardized architecture.

SOA is a flexible architecture that unifies business processes by structuring large applications into building blocks, or small modular functional units or services, for different groups of people to use inside and outside the company. The building blocks can be one of three roles:

Requirements for an SOA

To efficiently use an SOA, follow these requirements:




Sub-topics

Web services approach to a service-oriented architecture
Web services business models supported