What is SOA (service-oriented architecture) and why should you care?
5th Oct 2016
As technology and development rolls forward, the general complexity of things like software tends to become more intricate as well. This is partly due to the fact that the addition of new components and processes brings on a greater number of chances for failures, bugs or breakdowns. Traditionally, this sort of thinking only applied to hardware and perhaps mechanical devices, but it's pretty clear now that it can also apply to software..
So, what's the solution for dealing with software architecture issues? Obviously it's SOA, or service-oriented architecture; which is really just an approach to segmenting really complex systems. Let's break it down with an example.
For instance, let's say you own a business and need some specific apps / services which contain certain features. If your provider has divided all of the available package options for you into 'modules' which allow you to pick and choose what you want, then you're much more likely to be satisfied. This is an example of SOA in terms of the way it can provide more targeted software products.
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Similarly, let's say you are a software producer, developer or an IT company that delivers something like cloud computing services to clients. In this case, SOA would allow you to achieve several things at once, like:
Modularizing or isolating specific bits of code - this is useful because it would allow you to both avert potential risks as well as set up that specific unit to isolate it if any changes need to be made. By the same token, it's great for situations where only one piece of the software puzzle is frequently changed.
Averting major risks brought on due to larger instability issues - why should you have to constantly sort through thousands of lines of code to identify what's causing a problem when you can simply isolate most sections and work on those instead?
Experimenting with new combinations and components in a quick and easy manner - because most pieces of the software puzzle are isolated, you can interchange them at will without jeopardizing the integrity of the entire infrastructure. In other words, to make an analogy with a card game, you can 'cheat' and switch out certain cards at any time which might allow you to build a better 'winning hand'.
Businesses need SOA specialists because they are moving into new areas like Cloud Computing
As we are starting to see, the entire world of business is shifting toward using online services instead of building and maintaining their own (on-site). Of course not everyone is jumping 'all-in' with this approach, but most businesses are extremely eager to use many of the free or very cheap web services out there instead of some more labor-intensive / expensive option. Simply put, cloud computing is a type of technology which is both a computing solution as well as an entirely new approach toward networking. You might even say that the cloud is basically a merger between computing and networking, like conjoined twins, but without the health problems (no offense was intended by that remark, it was merely a statement meant to underline the notion that with cloud computing, the actual computing and networking services are essentially 'joined at the hip').
Most cloud infrastructure is built on a system that relies on SOA modules. In other words, cloud computing networks are often little more than a series of individual components or options which a provider places into a package and offers to a customer. Given this reality, businesses often need SOA specialists on hand to help ensure that their cloud system is solid, and cloud providers need them to help maintain current abilities as well as create new capabilities. Simply put, the world needs individuals who are well-versed in service-oriented architecture.
Still not convinced about the power of SOA? Then look at this recent example [press release - no connection between The Art of Service and this business is actual or implied]. One of the more well-known SOA governance companies, SOA Software, reported a staggering 52% increase in revenue for 2012! Now, keep in mind that they did this in the midst of a worldwide recession; you have to admit, that's a pretty amazing achievement and it also hints at the fact that SOA is a growing market for career-seekers.