Integration is not about simply plugging two systems or organizations into each other. The vision of “plug and play” application and system integration is a pipe dream that may be appropriate for in the distant future, but right now enterprises face the more immediate challenge of connecting arbitrary systems in a manner that is cost effective, manageable, efficient and secure. Ron Schmelzer, senior analyst, ZapThink, gives you soup-to-nuts expertise for Web services and the Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), as they represent an approach for integrating systems using an abstracted methodology called Service-Oriented Integration (SOI). Discover how Web services is becoming a key element to simplify and enable integration between legacy, heterogeneous and disparate systems. Gain real-world advice on: