Bottom Up SOA & IDM - A Practical Conversation
Posted by William Brant on Mon, Jan 31, 2011 @ 07:11 PM
After a over a decade of failed SOA implementation attempts, it is abundantly clear that the traditional top-down approach to SOA (Service Oriented architecture) is outmoded, outdated and just plain wrong. To see any real value from SOA it is quite clear a brand new approach is needed for organizations to achieve any real value.
To gain any real business value the emphasis must be on making things easier for everyone by improving existing organizational structures and processes. If you hear the need for wholesale re-engineering turn around and run the other way.
Though we are a talking about SOA, the same concepts apply to identity management Services.
From the current state of integration it is quite clear that open source integration frameworks, just plain work and work well. Open source and lightweight tools like GreyTower completely change the cost equation, as well as the adoption rate for SOA services.
As a CIO or technical manager, beware the vendor with radical SOA pitches and vast expenditures for proprietary software that don't fit your organization's business goals. There are options available from SOA vendors that embrace an a la carte approach that may be a better fit, without having to sell the farm to do it.
In the end, don't be scared of SOA, know you have options, and don't wait... your competition certainly wont.