SOA: (Best) Practices (and Standards)

SOA: (Best) Practices (& Standards)

With any complex system, there is often a series of practices and/or standards that can be enacted that not only ensure continued functionality, but also a much higher level of accomplishment. As with any other organized and technical endeavor that you can engage in, SOA has its do's and don'ts. Since SOA is principally concerned with business processes and operation, its potential uses should be perfectly in line with business goals. Any discussion about SOA practices and/or standards always leads to an examination of governance. But just what is SOA governance anyway? In a nutshell, SOA governance isn't simply about managing applications or policies, it's really about fulfilling the goals, programs and desires of the entire business itself. In other words it's about empowering and enabling your IT assets to accomplish things that are well within their potentials. Those that aren't steadfast in their application and treatment of governance are most likely not going to reap any real rewards from SOA.

The Goals of Enterprise Architecture, IT and SOA
When you look at the technological elements of any business objectively, you begin to realize that they are principally concerned with three specific goals:

1. Becoming a dependable and integral aspect of daily operation(s)
2. Providing a business a distinct competitive advantage in some form or fashion
3. Enabling business leaders, dreamers and decision makers to turn their ideas into reality

Out of these goals there are of course subsets of individual objectives that must also be considered. In truth, SOA or any other IT-based implementation exists to further the business objectives that any organization hoping to achieve success might follow:

• • Helping products and/or services to reach the market more quickly - Often times the success of any business can be measured by how fast it is able to move from idea to the marketplace; the first organization to bring an idea/concept/service/product to customers is usually the first to capture the market, so to speak.
  • Enabling further expansion of the organization - If an organization doesn't expand at some point it cannot reliably increase its profit margin.
  • Reducing (or eliminating) Total Cost of Ownership - The costs associated with IT ownership and management are substantial to say the least; However, if they are performing their tasks well, a well managed and intentioned IT infrastructure can literally 'pay for itself', often many times over (at which point it becomes a source of profit).
  • Establishing a company atmosphere which cultivates innovation - Another great side effect of a top-notch SOA / IT system is its propensity for breeding further advancement, in a number of directions. Companies that regularly use advanced technologies also have those resources to offer their creatively charged employees as well.
  • Creating a larger volume of satisfied customers - Generating profits and continuing to grow a business in entirely dependent on ones ability to capture customers / clients and keep them returning for more business.

Likewise, there are certain concepts surrounding the design, establishment and management of any architecture (that must also be considered if continued progress is a possibility).

• Compliance with established standards - with regards to services, independent or functioning like a group. Legal considerations pertaining to client / provider privilege(s) might also be included, as well as those pertaining to ramifications in the event of security lapse, etc‚Ķ
• Reliance on regular testing and reassessment of architectural assets - SOA should be subject to reoccurring testing procedures that are initiated, carried-out and recorded in an automated fashion.
• Analysis of found or incoming architectural data - As new developments emerge (or are discovered, by intrepid individuals) we must be able to not only analyze this new fragment, idea, tool or technological innovation but also integrate it into the system more quickly (and cleanly with less/no mishaps or downtime).

Probably the best way to approach managing an SOA is through the application of principles that are practical and closely aligned with established boundaries. If an operation is to continue on a productive path it needs to function well in a real business environment. In many ways, we are trying to simply get SOA to behave like yet another integral team member. In all honestly, IT infrastructures have become an equal partner in the operation and success of many of today's businesses. It's technologies like SOA that are beginning to blur the line between IT infrastructure, business and creative problem solving.