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A Progress Report on Web Services
By Alistair Rennie
Online Column published on 05/29/03
Link to article on web
When the term "Web services" was introduced several years ago to describe a
new level of information technology (IT) and business-to-business (B2B)
integration, it sounded almost too good to be true. Web services, built on
an open- technology platform and employing "middleware" software, would
enable diverse systems and applications to communicate transparently with
each other. Some claimed that enterprises would be able to link customers,
suppliers, partners and employees seamlessly and we could upgrade legacy
systems without needing to replace them. In other words, we were on our way
to enterprise-technology Utopia.
Well, if you were to believe the initial hype, you'd expect Web services to
change the world immediately. However, Web services are following a more
powerful evolution, which provides value in each step of their journey to
maturity - not a big bang, based on perfection. As Web services continue to
move forward, huge strides are being made. We're now seeing how it can
reduce complexity, increase productivity and lower enterprise costs. We
have now a realistic way of assessing the business value of this new
technology.
A few examples illustrate the importance of Web services to the enterprise.
First, consider J.D. Edwards, one of the leading developers of software
solutions. The company's collaborative-commerce software helps integrate
customers' business processes, making them more responsive, efficient and
profitable. In other words, J.D. Edwards has been providing Web
services-like value since before the term was coined.
The company found that it faced a challenge: It needed to enhance its own
capabilities to be truly collaborative with its customers and partners, as
well as to service the disparate systems and applications used by its
customers and those customers' constituencies. The solution involves a new
software framework that controls Web services-related activities and
provides access to the company's own applications via open standards
interfaces. Thus, J.D. Edwards has built an open environment that enables
it to work with its customers in the most effective way possible, no matter
what systems or applications the customer brings to the table. In other
words, it's practicing what it preaches.
J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. also faced a collaboration problem, but one that
was within the company. The merger of J.P. Morgan and Chase brought
together two giant financial institutions with myriad lines of business;
the result was a hodgepodge of systems that created a tower of Babel within
the organization. A specific challenge arose when two lines of business
decided to automate the creation of statements on demand for customer
accounts – a challenge because the systems in use were not interoperable.
The solution involved both front- and back-end operations. First, the
databases used to create the statements had to be migrated into a Web
services environment so that they could be connected seamlessly. And
second, applications were developed to enable the data to be organized to
meet customers' reporting needs and system requirements. By basing the
solution on open standards, the company is assured that it can handle
customer needs on a case-by-case basis without having to reinvent the wheel
each time.
Not reinventing the wheel is also what the government of Australia was
looking for when it started to rethink the technology architecture of its
Bureau of Statistics more than two years ago. The Bureau is used by
government departments in policy planning, by academics doing research and
by businesses for strategic planning purposes. Clearly, without the
integration and open standards provided by Web services, there was no way
to serve all of these constituencies efficiently. Further, the Bureau
wanted to enhance its own functionality by integrating its various systems.
The solution involves a major re-engineering of the Bureau's information
systems aimed at improvements in the integration of survey material,
management of data providers and the use of external-source material. This
will allow for greater internal efficiencies – with corresponding cost
reductions – as well as provide better service delivery through the use of
open systems that can cross constituents' technological boundaries.
Further, as greater numbers of enterprises adopt Web services platforms,
evolving new ways of information exchange should be easier.
Efficiency, cost-effectiveness and painlessness – that's what Web services
should be all about. Despite the naysayers who prophesied that it couldn't
be done – and despite a few false starts and hiccups along the way – the
promise is being fulfilled. Web services are here to stay and we're all the
better for it.
Alistair Rennie
Alistair Rennie is director of Web services marketing and On Demand
initiatives for IBM Software. His responsibilities include driving IBM's
overall marketing efforts for Web services to enterprises, business
partners and developers. Additionally, he plays a leading role in
developing and communicating the strategy for the on demand-operating
environment for e-business.
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