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Web Services |
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Any new technology arrives with its share of "clunker"
ideas and mistaken visions, or poorly planned projects,
mixed in inextricably with the gems. Failure to understand
the market for the best ideas results in failure to
exploit their potential. Enterprises must know these
markets to understand their vendors' positioning, and
how best to exploit the challenging but extremely promising
Web services market.
Radiant understood that, among the greatest challenges
facing enterprises is grasping the real promise of Web
services - as opposed to the ideal foisted on them by
hype that, even now, is beginning to deflate. As a result,
the IT industry faces a challenge in understanding the
pitfalls and benefits of Web services. |
To help all interested parties better comprehend the
system in which Web services are likely to succeed,
we lay out the following six entry points for successful
Web services: |
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Web Services Architecture |
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Web Services Creation |
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Web Services Provisioning |
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Web Services Brokering |
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Web Services Management |
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Web Services Consulting and Integration |
| Web services build
on the concept of distributed computing, as it evolved
from Unix OLTP to distributed component architectures
and to the Internet architecture. A complete Web services
architecture will consist of three runtime environments: |
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Service Provider |
This could be an application
server or any engine that hosts a service. |
| A
Service Consumer |
This could be another application,
a portal, a Web browser or cell phone that presents
the service to the ultimate consumer. |
| A
Services Manager |
This management platform would
act as a management environment for coordinating services
while they are being used. |
| But Web
services architecture isn't as simple as just a provider/consumer
mode. It is the overriding theme surrounding the four
platforms that dominate Web services. As such, Web services
architecture is really only an "entry point"
for those big enough to have some impact on service
provision, service consumption, service production and
service management. |
| Web services creation is a development
cycle for services. Its success will be defined by the
ability to coordinate development activities from process
management through to testing and deployment of services.
Important new Web services technologies, such as Logidex's
Web services understanding/Web services enablement technology,
should aid developers in this process. In addition,
Garter's forthcoming research on Web services production
platforms and Web services tools will replace the former
emphasis on the integrated service environment (ISE)
as the primary metaphor for projects delivered to create
Web services. |
| Web services provide
a new opportunity for companies, and even individuals,
to become suppliers of business services internally
and over the Web. |
| Brokering of preexisting
Web services will provide a model for any enterprise
that chooses to become an indirect supplier channel.
For a fee, the Web services broker will connect users
of a Web service with the provider of that service.
Brokers will not create services, nor will they manage
or host services. Instead, Web services brokers will
focus on building a large supplier network and will
mine that network to generate incremental revenue. The
Web services broker will focus on aggregating an appropriate
set of services and cataloging those services as a portfolio
of offerings. |
| The Web services network
will catalyze efforts to build trading communities based
on Web services. However, the key role for the Web services
network will be in coordinating the management of Web
services so that they provide a consistent level of
quality. |
| Web services management
will consist of two levels: |
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The Web services network,
previously mentioned: These networks could be characterized
as "value-added networks on steroids," which
use Web services standards and a service-oriented approach.
It is intended to be a hosted service for coordinating
the activities of partners in a collaborative value
chain. |
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A product-level management platform,
such as an application server with management facilities,
or a product from a vendor such as Talking Blocks or
Interkeel. Traditional electronic data interchange (EDI)
companies; e-marketplace vendors and systems/network
management players will also dominate in this space. |
| Professional services
will continue to be necessary in integration projects;
Web services are no different. Service providers such
as us, Radiant will typify the companies providing Web
services consulting and integration. |
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