Articles by SOA World Magazine News Desk

SYS-CON Webcast - The Art & Science of SOA: How Governance Enables Adoption

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 17:00:00 EDT

Melding a stable enterprise architecture with the right level of technical and organization transparency involves two different perspectives. An architect can lay a SOA foundation that enables development teams to build new functionality leveraging Web Services. However, without a librarian’s perspective, the interaction between service providers and consumers sharing SOA assets can lead to your SOA projects stagnating. In this session, you’ll learn how Volvofinans brought together these two perspectives to accelerate SOA adoption.

SYS-CON Webcast - Introducing Automated Business Process Discovery: Step #1 To Process Improvement

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:45:00 EDT

In a recent study, CIOs ranked "improving business processes" as their #1 priority for 2008. But the big question has always been - How does one get started with a BPM initiative? The traditional approach has been to engage external consultants and to dedicate significant time and resources to map out how a company does business. Very often, the outcome is delayed and riddled with inaccuracies.

SYS-CON Webcast - The "Practical SOA" Approach

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:20:00 EDT

In this webcast you will see some examples of leveraging JBoss product suite in Enterprise Service-Oriented Architecture implementations. You will examine real-life case studies to clearly understand the full lifecycle of an Enterprise SOA, as well as what it takes to have the “Practical SOA” approach.

SYS-CON Webcast - Data Direct The Coming Wave in Data Services

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:30:00 EDT

"Data services apply the same philosophy of reuse and flexibility that SOA offers, but to the data tier," explains John Goodson, executive leader of DataDirect Technologies, in this Exclusive Q&A in the run-up to the inuaugural DataServices World on June 24th in New York City, of which Data Direct is the Diamond Sponsor. "Data services," Goodson continues, "provide a level of abstraction that frees developers from concerning themselves with the physical location or format of the underlying data."

Chordiant and IBM's SOA Solutions Help Global Brands

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:02:00 EDT

Chordiant and IBM announced an extended partnership to deliver Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)-based solutions to help global brands with high-volumes of customer interactions better meet consumer needs and improve customer relationships.

OpenSpan Achieves Sixth Consecutive Quarter of Record Revenue Growth

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:23:00 EDT

OpenSpan announced record revenue for the sixth consecutive quarter. In addition, the company announced that revenues in the first half of 2008 exceeded those for all of 2007 and were fueled by several million dollar-plus deals that progressed from successful proof-of-concept and pilot projects to full production deployments. The record OpenSpan revenues were generated from a growing installed customer base as well as from more than a dozen new customers in the contact center, financial services, telecommunications and high tech markets.

Eloqua Delivers An Open Web Services Application Programming Interface for Marketing Automation

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:13:00 EDT

Eloqua announced the Eloqua Web Services Application Programming Interface (API), a Web Services API for marketing automation. This release further extends the flexibility, functionality and ease-of-use of Eloqua’s demand generation applications. Using the Eloqua Web Services API, organizations can now integrate any application, service or non-standard Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system with their Eloqua solution. This functionality complements Eloqua’s long-standing and seamless integration with leading CRM systems, including Salesforce.com, Siebel On-Demand and Microsoft CRM.

ActiveVOS Selected to Help Develop FBI’s NGI System

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:39:00 EDT

Active Endpoints announced that ActiveVOS is the orchestration software selected to develop and maintain the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Next Generation Identification (NGI) System. The NGI System is a multi-modal, state-of–the-art biometrics system for use by state, local and federal authorities. The ten-year, $1 billion contract was awarded to Lockheed Martin, who will provide large systems development and integration expertise.

Virtualization Company CA Wily Surpasses 1,000 Customer Mark

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:00:00 EDT

CA announced that its CA Wily Technology division has surpassed 1,000 customers. Since being acquired by CA in March 2006, the application performance management (APM) solution provider has nearly doubled its customer base, adding more than 500 new customers and completing over 900 new transactions.

Investments in SOA Governance Set to Rise in APAC

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 23:30:00 EDT

Corporate investments in Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) governance are expected to rise sharply across the Asia-Pacific region, particularly among organizations with one or more SOA project deployments, according to the latest report from Springboard Research, an innovator in the IT market research industry. As per Springboard's report "SOA Governance in Asia Pacific", awareness of the importance of SOA governance is increasing sharply across Asia-Pacific, as most companies in the region that have implemented SOA have also instituted governance mechanisms at some point during the SOA project."

Avineon to Use SOA in Dept Defense Contract

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:30:00 EDT

Avineon has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program Phase II contract by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). Under the contract, which is a continuation of its Phase I work, Avineon will continue transforming NAVSEA's existing Afloat Master Planning System (AMPS) into a Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) to support the Navy's Strike Force Interoperability (SFI) initiative.

SOA Web-based Application, ProcessMaker, Will Be Available On the Intel Business Exchange

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:15:00 EDT

Colosa announced that its flagship solution, ProcessMaker, is one of the first applications to achieve certification through the Intel Certified Solutions Program and will be available on the Intel Business Exchange. The Intel Business Exchange is an online marketplace for small and medium businesses to search for and buy software specifically geared towards their special needs.

New IBM Software Expands SOA Infosphere

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 23:30:00 EDT

IBM has introduced new versions of two software products, part of its growing InfoSphere portfolio, that deliver information on demand to the people, processes and applications that rely on it. The new products help customers create and manage trusted information from across their enterprises to improve business performance. IBM is introducing a new version of its IBM master data management software. The company is also releasing a new version of IBM InfoSphere Information Server, which allows customers to standardize and resolve multicultural name data.

SOA Consortium Releases New Podcast from K. Scott Morrison, Layer 7 Technologies

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 22:30:00 EDT

The SOA Consortium announced the availability of a podcast and slide deck of the presentation by K. Scott Morrison, VP of Engineering and Chief Architect at Layer 7 Technologies, on "How to Fail at SOA," recorded at the SOA Consortium meeting in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, in June. Calling on Layer 7 Technologies' six years of experience Scott warned meeting attendees about repeated patterns of bad practices, pitfalls and bad decisions.

New Book from Packt: Build Powerful Java Apps using SOA

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:30:00 EDT

Services-Oriented Architecture (SOA) is a software architecture where functionality is grouped around business processes and packaged as interoperable services. SOA also describes IT infrastructure which allows different applications to exchange data with one another as they participate in business processes. Through this book, users will learn when SOA is the best choice for their web services-based applications and also to design and implement a sound architecture for successful implementation of any business solution.

North Shore Credit Union to Implement Software Conversion with AMB SOA Solution

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:00:00 EDT

AMB has been chosen by North Shore Credit Union as their data quality provider to cleanse their old system data as part of their data governance program. The tight integration with ETL tools and the availability of integrated SOA components and tools usable by their stakeholders was a key differentiator for choosing AMB.

Toyota Motor Europe Selects Active Endpoints to Develop Their SOA Applications

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:30:00 EDT

Active Endpoints announced that Toyota Motor Europe has deployed a sales education application that uses ActiveVOS for user provisioning and access to an education application. The new services-based application utilizes ActiveVOS capabilities including rapid development and deployment, integrated testing and support of industry-standards like the Business Process Execution Language (BPEL) to ensure all field personnel have quick and easy access to their internal learning management system. Toyota Motor Europe is based in Brussels, Belgium.

McCamish Deploys Progress Sonic ESB Platform to Create A SOA

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:30:00 EDT

Progress Software announced that McCamish Systems has deployed the Progress Sonic ESB platform to create a service oriented architecture (SOA) that will help them provide integrated services to their BPO clients. As a result of the ESB, McCamish can reduce the complexity of integration to their client's corporate web sites by exposing standard web services.

Conformia Integrates SOA-Based Lifecycle Management Into IBM Platform

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:15:00 EDT

Conformia announced it has integrated its solution into the IBM platform to provide an end-to-end solution for drug development to the pharmaceutical industry. The solution incorporates service oriented architecture (SOA) capabilities that have been validated by IBM. Conformia's SOA approach enables other applications running on the IBM stack and infrastructure to exchange crucial pharmaceutical data with Conformia's products. Furthermore, data from non-IBM products can now be integrated into Conformia and IBM product stacks creating the first commercial off-the-shelf, integrated information environment solution for pharmaceutical and biotech drug development.

IBM's SOA Software and Vantage Deluxe World Travel Make It Easier for Travelers to Book Vacations

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:30:00 EDT

IBM announced that Vantage Deluxe World Travel has increased sales and improved business operations since turning to IBM to run its Web site and online booking system. Since switching to IBM WebSphere Commerce software, Vantage Travel has reduced order-taking time by 80 percent and increased revenue for the company. The new Web site also has special features to make it easier for consumers to navigate and make reservations.

CIC & CSC Team, Offer SOA Solution to Banking Industry

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:30:00 EDT

Communication Intelligence Corporation, a supplier of electronic signature solutions for business process automation in the financial industry and biometric signature verification, announced that it has formed an alliance with CSC, an information technology services company. Under the agreement, CSC will incorporate CIC's SignatureOne Ceremony Server software into selected CSC banking systems sold as licensed software and hosted as software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings.Under the terms of this agreement, CIC will provide CSC with its SignatureOne Ceremony Server solution. CSC will incorporate and package CIC's secure signatures into several enterprise applications and offer this service directly to its clients, expanding CSC's broad portfolio of financial services solutions.

Vantage Travel Generates Revenue Using IBM's SOA Software

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 13:30:00 EDT

IBM announced that Vantage Deluxe World Travel, a travel provider for active, mature American travelers, has increased sales and improved business operations since turning to IBM to run its Web site and online booking system. Since switching to IBM WebSphere Commerce software, Vantage Travel has reduced order-taking time by 80 percent and increased revenue for the company. The new Web site also has special features to make it easier for consumers to navigate and make reservations.

Software AG Modernizes SOA webMethods

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:30:00 EDT

Software AG, a global provider of business infrastructure software, expanded the webMethods Application Modernization Suite with the introduction of the Discovery Edition. Based on Software AG's global reseller agreement with Relativity Technologies, the Discovery Edition can be used to document and analyze existing code bases - including Cobol, PL/I, RPG, Visual Basic, C/C++ and Java - in order to eliminate software deficiencies, optimize application performance and enable subsequent reuse of existing code.

iTKO LISA, dynaTrace Partner for Federated SOA Testing

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:00:00 EDT

iTKO LISA, the provider of testing, validation and virtualization solutions for SOA (Service-Oriented Architecture) and enterprise software, and dynaTrace software, the provider of lifecycle application performance management for complex SOA-based systems, announce a combined solution that offers defense customers complete visibility into the quality and reliability of key software applications.

AAPT Uses SOA-Based Service Orchestration to Extend DSL Troubleshooting Process to Resellers

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:45:00 EDT

By making AAPT troubleshooting procedures available externally, AAPT reduces the complexity of providing service, improves customer satisfaction and reduces the internal resources required to support resellers and partners.

Tech Systems Deploys Critical SOA Applications with Micro Focus

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:15:00 EDT

Micro Focus announced that Tech Systems has successfully implemented Micro Focus Server for SOA. Micro Focus will enable Tech Systems to transform its IntegraSoft order and distribution management solution into a Web-based, more user-friendly application. As a result, customers will benefit from a more intuitive and accessible IntegraSoft solution without sacrificing any functionality or existing business logic.

SOA World Magazine Opens Polls for 6th Annual "Readers' Choice Awards"

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:45:00 EDT

SOA World Magazine announced today that the polls are now open for the SOA World Magazine Readers' Choice Awards, which recognize excellence in the software, solutions, or services provided by the industry's top vendors. Readers will be casting their votes until November 8, 2008. Winners and finalists will be announced at the 14th International SOA World Conference & Expo 2008 West, November 19-21, in San Jose, CA.

Sterling Infosystems Selects Sonoa to Open Its SOA Infrastructure to the Cloud

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 23:00:00 EDT

Sonoa Systems announced that Sterling Infosystems has selected its ServiceNet solution to more effectively operate Sterling's SOA infrastructure and ensure enterprise-class security, manageability and performance of these customer-facing Web services.

Ecologic Analytics Announces SOA-based Interface for Silver Spring Networks

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 23:00:00 EDT

Ecologic Analytics announced that the new AMI interface (i.e. gateway) for Silver Spring Networks’ latest version of Utility IQ has received deployment certification from the Ecologic Integration Lab. Designed to support large deployments, this new multi-threaded gateway enables the Ecologic MDMS to provision the Utility IQ meters as well as receive reads and event data from them.

AgilePath Announces SOA Playbook Acceleration Solutions

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:00:00 EDT

AgilePath announced a series of new SOA Playbook Acceleration Solutions. AgilePath's SOA Acceleration Solutions are a suite of integrated offerings that include targeted SOA training, SOA workshops, and SOA XPE 'sprints' focused on delivering rapid results for key SOA focus areas, all within the overall structure of AgilePath's patent pending SOA Playbook methodology.

Fortify Software Addresses Security Vulnerabilities in Web Services and SOA Configurations

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:15:00 EDT

Fortify Software unveiled a technique for identifying the security implications of using common Web Services and service-oriented architecture (SOA) frameworks. Fortify conducted a thorough study of the security of 5 popular frameworks, and found critical security concerns with how the frameworks are commonly configured and used. As a result, Fortify built new capabilities into its product, Fortify 360, to identify these vulnerabilities using source code analysis on a code base and dynamic security testing on a running application. These new capabilities have been made available to all Fortify customers.

Optimize the Business Outcome of SOA

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:15:00 EDT

Today, SOA is a mainstream IT initiative that ranks among the top priorities of CIOs. SOA dramatically improves the flexibility and adaptability of organizations by accelerating the time to market for new applications and processes. This paper summarizes the business benefits of adopting SOA, describes the obstacles that must be overcome and outlines the business technology optimization (BTO) approach that HP uses to optimize the business outcome of SOA.

Testing Service-oriented Architecture (SOA) Applications and Services

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:00:00 EDT

Few other innovations in IT offer the transformative potential of SOA. SOA is centered around a transformation of your enterprise IT architecture into a set of services that can be shared and reused across application development initiatives. The successful deployment of services requires the ability to manage the quality of these services so you can increase the use of IT resources and reuse services across multiple applications to enhance business agility.

Software Quality Management for SOA: Enterprise Quality Managers Take the Helm

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:30:00 EDT

SOA brings challenges for every part of the IT organization, and the IT quality organization is no exception. SOA requires quality management across all types of testing--functional, performance, security and compliance. IT quality managers can develop a successful SOA quality program by finding the right strategy, implementing the right processes and selecting the right tools.

SOA Management: Bringing SOA into the Mainstream of IT Operations

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:45:00 EDT

Managing SOA services is usually done by a specific project team initially. However, in the long run, SOA must be managed in production by IT operations to take advantage of trusted operational processes. This paper describes an approach to SOA management that integrates SOA into the fabric of IT by addressing the unique aspects of SOA management and balances the needs of the initial SOA project team with the needs of the enterprise.

IBM Announces Plans to Acquire ILOG

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:30:00 EDT

IBM announced they have signed an agreement regarding a proposed acquisition by IBM of ILOG to be implemented by way of concurrent cash public tender offers in both France and the United States. Through this proposed transaction, IBM will combine its business process management (BPM), business optimization, and service oriented architecture (SOA) technologies with ILOG's Business Rules Management Systems software. This will enable IBM to help clients deliver critical business information in real-time, allowing them to make better business decisions faster.

The Eight Most Important Best Practices in SOA Governance

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:15:00 EDT

The technologies used by IT to create SOAs are maturing. They are found to be robust and reliable. SOA governance provides a framework for making and applying the decisions that determine how the SOA will be designed, developed and operated. Work with real enterprises deploying SOAs to solve real business problems has led to the development of a set of best practices spanning SOA. This paper presents the eight best practices for SOA governance.

Synovus Financial Chooses Managed Methods for Agentless SOA Visibility

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:30:00 EDT

Managed Methods has announced the addition of Synovus Financial to its customer list. Synovus is a financial services holding company with more than $33 billion in assets based in Columbus, Georgia. Synovus provides commercial and retail banking, as well as investment services, to customers through 36 banks, 440 ATMs, and other Synovus offices in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida and Tennessee.

SOA Governance: Balancing Flexibility and Control within an SOA

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:30:00 EDT

SOA has become a strategic imperative for organizations today. Without a SOA strategy, you risk being outpaced and outperformed by competitors who are better equipped to serve customers, seize opportunities and respond to change. This paper highlights the concept of SOA governance and provides a framework for blending the flexibility of a SOA with the control, consistency and predictability of traditional IT architecture.

Managing SOA Application Service Levels, Performance and Availability

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:15:00 EDT

SOA enables IT to increase agility and to lower costs. However, because of the added complexity, you need to manage SOA services and applications built with SOA to ensure their performance and availability meets the needs of the business. This white paper provides an overview of the specific challenges involved - including service discovery, monitoring, root cause analysis and service level management- and offers potential solutions to address them.