Get ready now for low cost Web Services integration

IT managers and business leaders need to start defining a service-based architecture for their IT infrastructure and applications management. Although it could take 10 years for emerging Web Services to transform IT from technology-based to a service industry, we need to get clarity, understanding and strategy underway beforehand. That was chief among messages from analyst Butler Group’s Web Services symposium in London in April. When it comes, it will come fast and, importantly, the cost advantages of serving information and applications – and automating inter-system operations – using Web Services are already being felt, and not just on internal systems. Driving this IT revolution will be pressure to reduce business IT spending which, if predictions are to be believed, in the next few years will become unsustainable. Managing director Martin Butler says: “If current spending [on IT] was to continue most corporations would be putting over 100% of the profits towards IT within five years.” There may be holes in that analysis, but the fact is that Web Services – which include a full definition as XML standards at the language support, discovery and transport levels (WSDL, UDDI and SOAP respectively) and already have massive support from Sun, Microsoft, IBM and the rest – will come anyway. The unquestionable benefits they bring, and are already bringing – primarily automated interoperability (including of processes) and cheap and easy integration – will be irresistible drivers. Integration and Web Services software developer and service provider Iona, for example, has already worked with companies like Farnell, in this case to provide its massive web catalogue system with automated system to system integration into Farnell partner back end ERP systems from their broswers. The alternative would have been a web marketplace and extensive enterprise application integration for all users at that level. But the time frame for mass adoption will nevertheless be long. Shaun Conn, solutions architect at Iona says: “the problem with Web Services so far is that everyone is waiting – they’re not sure which way to go.” Analysis at the event suggested initial implementations will test new licensing agreements. Then by early 2003, services will be being rolled out to companies’ partner businesses, following what happened with intranet/extranet adoption and evaluation. By 2005, Butler believes “proof of concept will be overwhelming”, and technology and culture barriers – like security and trust – will have been cracked. Then rapid growth will follow. “Web Services is going to transform the IT industry from a cottage industry to a component industry, and corporations will benefit by being able to expose their core competencies to the outside world. This kind of integration with partners, suppliers and customers will allow companies to work smarter, while stopping the exponential growth in IT spend,” says Butler. Butler has released a concept paper with its Web Services Symposium partners (including Microsoft, Sun, BEA Systems, HP, IBM, Iona and portals specialist Plumtree), explaining what Web Services are and why organisations need to understand the benefits and changes coming. It’s available for download at www.butlergroup.com/downloads/DefiningWebServices.pdf