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"Successful enterprise IT managers today understand that SOA is not a luxury, it isa necessary IT methodology that lends to a flexible infrastructure capable ofadapting to business needs," said Thiru Sivasubramanian, country manager USA, TorryHarris Business Solutions. "The next step is to select from the many implementationoptions available, and this process need not keep decision-makers awake at night aslong as they begin with a clear roadmap. Our attempt is to help de-mystify themethodology."
Torry Harris Business Solutions' heritage is in middleware and distributedenterprise computing, which has naturally evolved to become the basis of SOAmethodology. The company has worked and partnered with a myriad of SOA productvendors, and provides advice on the use of open source software in SOAimplementation. By accessing the following elements, decision-makers can determinethe right path to SOA implementation.
1. Determine which business processes are most frequently changed
Identify the application or sets of applications that are impacted by the mostfrequently required changes demanded by the business. This is the first step thatgives an idea of the project's scope, though in small segments. A parallel run willbe required during the transition that involves both legacy and different versions,each incorporating more services, progressively exposed in each iteration.
2. Document use cases that will be impacted by changes to business applications
The documentation should include a study of client-based executables or interfaces,invoked by each user community. The purpose of this study is to allow a fuller viewof the scope and establish a narrower set of important milestones.
3. Review server-based application code to identify and abstract business processesfrom an application's functionality
The exercise of parsing business processes apart from an application's functionalityhelps to form a reasonable estimate of the work and timelines involved, furtherdefining the scope of work.
4. Expose potential latency issues of re-use and content-heavy XML and the securityissues of opening these assets for access
When business systems operate conditionally, many of the tasks are buried deepwithin the rules engines. The process of separating process from systems and makingeach discrete will necessarily expose weaknesses. These considerations willdetermine the classes and types of products to be used in the enterprisearchitecture. Once this is done, the first sketch of the target architecture is madevisible.
5. Build and expose the separate functionality that is identified to be a part ofone or more business processes
At this time, it is important to get started. A registry and/or a repository thatdescribes the service is necessary, so that incoming messages can find them. The SOAcould initially be made available within the firewall, tested and then subsequentlymade available through holes in the firewall that are opened specifically withrelevant security measures to allow access to nominated users.
6. Research and select the right offshore SOA partner
The selection of a SOA partner largely depends on whether a SOA product is purchasedor if a custom solution is desired. Selecting an entity that is knowledgeable inboth open source and proprietary solutions affords cost-sensitive and time-sensitiveoptions. Knowledge, skill and expertise is of little value without client-centricsupport. The following questions should be asked: Is this merely a vendor or a truebusiness ally with domain-specific expertise? Is there visibility into the processand is the support team accessible around the clock to meet your needs?
About Torry Harris Business Solutions
Torry Harris Business Solutions (THBS) is a global niche IT service provider thatcreates and maintains mission critical systems for the telecommunications, banking,financial services and insurance (BFSI), government, health care, manufacturing,utilities, automotive and travel industries. Founded in 1998, THBS is headquarteredin New Jersey with offshore development centers in Bangalore, India; Shenzhen,China; and sales offices in Europe, Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions. THBSemploys approximately 1,000 staff members worldwide. For more information, pleasevisit us at www.thbs.com/soa.
