The Four Stages of SOA Governance

For several years now, ZapThink has spoken about SOA Governance “in the narrow” vs. SOA governance “in the broad.” SOA governance in the narrow refers to governance of the SOA initiative, and focuses primarily on the Service lifecycle. When vendors try to sell you SOA governance gear, they’re typically talking …

BriefingsDirect analysts discuss Software AG-IDS Scheer acquisition and lackluster prospects for Google Chrome OS

Will the popularity of devices like netbooks and smartphones accelerate the obsolescence of full-fledged fat clients, and what can Google hope to do further to move the market away from powerhouse Microsoft? Who is the David and who is the Goliath in this transition from software plus services to software for services?

Here to help us better understand Software AG’s latest acquisition bid and the impact of the Google Chrome OS are our analysts this week. We are here with Jim Kobielus, senior analyst at Forrester Research; Tony Baer, senior analyst at Ovum; Brad Shimmin, principal analyst at Current Analysis; Jason Bloomberg, managing partner at ZapThink; JP Morgenthal, independent analyst and IT consultant; and Joe McKendrick, independent analyst and ZDNet and SOA blogger.

Read more at: ZDNet Blogs

Video: The Art & Science of Service Design

Video of ZapThink’s presentation at Software AG’s SOA Summit.

The word “service” has numerous meanings in the English language. Even in the context of SOA, the word “Service” could mean a Service implementation, a Service interface, or a Business Service. The core technical challenge of SOA, however, is creating and maintaining the Business Service abstraction, because Business Services are the central enabling principle of SOA. This session explains these differences of meaning in detail, and illustrates some essential techniques for buuilding the Business Service abstraction, including the critical role of the Service contract.

Read more at: Software AG

Video: The Data Services Layer: Building a Solid Foundation for SOA

Video of ZapThink’s presentation at Software AG’s SOA Summit.

If implementing SOA is like building a house, then data are the foundation. Without key best practices for accessing, abstracting, and managing data, the business Services and the processes that depend upon them can come crashing down. Furthermore, the essential Service design best practice of selecting the proper granularity of a Service interface depends in large part upon the underlying data as well. This session outlines the data issues all SOA architects must be aware of as they plan their SOA implementation, as well as a look at the semantic challenges that SOA brings to the fore.

Read more at: Software AG

Video: Must-Have Policies: Structuring & Scaling SOA Adoption

Video of ZapThink’s presentation at Software AG’s SOA Summit.

Understanding policies in the SOA context and how to create, communicate, and enforce them is critical to SOA success. In particular, architects must understand which policies are relevant across the Service lifecycle from design time to run time to change time. This session provides practical advice on how to handle policies as part of a SOA governance initiative, and provides an in-depth look at a case study that exemplifies key SOA governance best practices.

Read more at: Software AG

‘SOA is Dead’ debate lives on and on

Anne’s blockbuster statement was also a part of a panel discussion I had the opportunity to moderate at the just-concluded Software AG’s SOA Summit 2009 in Phoenix. The panelists – which included Jason Bloomberg of ZapThink, Bjorn Brauel of Software AG, Susan Cramm of Value Dance, Kevin Flowers of Coca-Cola, Miko Matsumura of Software AG, and John Rymer of Forrester – engaged in a rousing discussion of what the next phase is for SOA, and how to sell the concept to management and the organization.

Read more at: ZDNet

Preventing the Demise of the IT Department

ZapThink has long championed the role of Information Technology (IT) and the information technologists that turn IT resources into capabilities. However, we are especially champions of the users of IT, notably the business. After all, if it weren’t for business users, there would be little funding and relevance for IT. …

Progress Software Names New CEO

Overall, Progress “has quite a few good assets in the SOA and integration markets,” said ZapThink analyst Ronald Schmelzer via e-mail. “However, they are in many ways a second-tier vendor competing against the much more entrenched incumbents: IBM, Oracle, Software AG, HP and Microsoft.”

Market consolidation, such as Oracle’s purchase of BEA, has further cemented the position of the incumbents, Schmelzer added.

But this in turn “makes Progress continue to be a good second choice when end-users aren’t first considering their existing incumbent vendors,” he said. “Without Progress itself getting acquired by one of the ‘big guys,’ I don’t see how this dynamic will change.”

Read more at: PC World

SOA Summit 2009 Gives Attendees the Tools to Build a Better Business

Software AG, a global leader in business infrastructure software, today announced its upcoming SOA Summit 2009, a premier event for SOA experts, business leaders, and application development professionals, dedicated to providing attendees real-world insights and hands-on training that can be applied immediately. SOA Summit 2009 will be held May 5-6, 2009 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The technical track features Ron Schmelzer and Jason Bloomberg, both managing partners and senior analysts at ZapThink, who will provide hands-on training modeled on ZapThink’s renowned Boot Camp sessions. The Summit concludes with highlights from National City Bank’s successful effort to grow SOA from individual project deployments to an encompassing enterprise strategy.

Read more at: Software AG Press Release

Time to Stop Blaming the TLA for IT’s Failure?

I’ll be honest with you — I’ve got a cold, possibly the flu, I’m recovering from surgery and I just don’t have the strength to rehash the responses to Anne Thomas Manes’ Declaration of SOA’s Death.

Not that I haven’t followed them — I have. And their numbers are legion. I’ve even got a few favorites — Miko Matsumura renamed his SOA Center blog to the “SOA or Whatever Center” at — check it out — whatevercenter.com. And who didn’t love the suggestion we start referring to SOA as “The Architecture Formerly Known as SOA,” aka Prince? Matsumura credits ZapThink analyst Ron Schmelzer with that one.

Read more at: IT Business Edge