IBM has introduced a new?service methodology to guide companies that are considering SOA investments. The methodology, which could be thought of as a roadmap on the highway to SOA success, incorporates multiple elements.?Among them:
The company calls these "asset-based services" -- a combination of software code, intellectual property and best practices generated through?engagements with many customers in?many industries. It's an awkward term, but the idea is attractive.
"Asset-based services will dramatically impact the way customers deploy Service-Oriented Architectures," said Michael Liebow, vice president of Web services and SOA for IBM Global Services. ?"Many customers experience similar problems in deploying an SOA. Packaging best practices and software code generated from experience with thousands of customers into asset-based services offerings help us to reduce the risk and increase the value to customers faster."??
This may prove to be an attractive way to position SOA offerings in an environment of constricted IT budgets. UK-based Standard Life has used an SOA approach to cost-effectively link up 250 business services?including pension quotations, direct debit authorization and fulfillment checks.
"You can't go to the business and ask for a chunk of money because it's not there," Liebow said. "You have to rationalize it into a discreet set of projects that will generate a significant return within 12 months. You can either do that yourself or leverage our best practices."