SOA Misconceptions

I continue to see a number of common misconceptions about SOA. There have been a number of articles written about this when SOA was first introduced. They primarily concentrated on dispelling the myths that SOA = Web Services. Current misconceptions run deeper and a lot more general.

1. SOA is Expensive
SOA doesn't have to expensive. There is an abundance of open source tools and technologies that can be used to build a truly state of the art SOA platform.

2. SOA is Inefficient
SOA is as inefficient as you make it. Not all the problems and organizations require a complete SOA stack but, at a certain level, it becomes necessary. Otherwise, you will have too much complexity and, in fact, breed inefficiency.

3. SOA is Non-productive
A well established SOA program can run like a well-oiled machine. I am sure a lot of people can cite numerous examples of lost productivity because of unnecessarily complex SOA environments and processes. However, in large and complex corporate IT departments well defined organizational structures and processes are a must. They actually make things more efficient and increase productivity. Every situation requires a different approach. However, SOA, as a general pattern for building software, has been shown to dramatically improve productivity. Think about it -- if several projects can reuse an already existing, well tested service, this results in tremendous productivity improvements and costs savings!

4. SOA is Unnecessary
This is true, with a caveat. SOA has been employed as an IT and business strategy to make organizations more efficient, productive, and agile. If you want your company to achieve these goals, SOA becomes a part of the answer. Otherwise, you are stuck in the world of point-to-point integrations, Just a Bunch of Services, and an unmitigated integration mess in general. Obviously, smaller companies can get away without employing SOA for a much longer period of time but larger ones will feel the pain much sooner.

5. SOA is Too Complicated
Yes, SOA is complicated. But what major effort isn't? Enterprise Architecture is complex, so we shouldn't do it?! EAI was complex but companies did it out of necessity. Master Data Management is complex, so companies should forget about managing their data?! SOA can be as simple or complex as you need to make it. Create a roadmap for your SOA program and follow it. It should guide you in your quest to achieve SOA maturity, however simple or complex you need to make it.

SOA is a program. You can make it into whatever you need. You can use whatever technologies and approaches you like. As long as you keep the goal of increasing agility and saving money as a result of creating reusable business capabilities in mind, you should be successful.

SOA and the Trough of Disillusionment

All the signs point to the fact that SOA has entered the trough of disillusionment. Why? I am seeing a lot of companies de-funding or stopping SOA efforts altogether. Many executives don't see the hype anymore and thus no longer understand the value of SOA. Many companies have tried SOA and failed, so they don't want to try it again. Plus, the economy is not helping. Budgets are getting slashed, jobs are lost, people are afraid to innovate. The first type of spending that companies cut is strategic. They want to get through the tough economic times with minimal required spending -- just to keep the lights on. Thus, SOA program funding gets cut and the executive support goes downhill with it.

What can we do to make sure that SOA moves onto the slope of enlightenment and further to the plateau of productivity? Continue to educate your organizations and executives about the value of SOA! Even though SOA is not in vogue anymore, it doesn’t mean that it lost its value. The benefits are still there. You just have to work harder to make them visible. Document your successes and shift into a marketing mode. Promote the SOA program and the benefits you achieved as much as possible. Show real value. This will certainly get executives’ attention and guarantee their support. Don’t give up. Continue to fight negative perceptions and concentrate on delivering value.

SOA, like any other enterprise wide initiative, is a differentiator. Companies that can successfully implement SOA will become a lot more successful than those that can’t. When the economic crisis ends, organizations that continued to invest into SOA will come out on top. Those that didn’t will be left behind and will need to spend a lot more money and efforts to catch up. SOA can produce tangible business benefits. Don’t let the disillusioned minority silence its value proposition.