SOAP or REST? Why not use both?

In a new post at ZDNet, Phil Windley picked up on my reporting of Tim Bray's comments around SOA ("it's all vendor BS") and gives the whole argument some much-needed perspective. Namely, that "SOAPful" SOA can work very well for the enterprise, as well the "RESTful" approaches (based purely on Web standards) that Bray advocates.

Phil points out, and I agree with him, that SOAP-based SOA can make, and is making, a big difference in some operations. The CIO of a medium-sized insurance company, for example, told Phil that "SOA has changed how he does business. Most of his projects are now under $10,000. He has very few big project left. He attributes this completely to the use of SOAP-based Web services inside his shop and within the insurance industry. Interestingly, he has registries, but didn't know if his organization was using Web services management tools." 

There's a place for both SOAP and REST, and "smart shops will use them where they fit best," Phil said.