Comments on: Is SOA Too Big to Fail? http://blogs.gartner.com/david_m_smith/2009/04/15/is-soa-too-big-to-fail/ A member of the Gartner Blog Network Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:59:41 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Jean-Claude Bellando http://blogs.gartner.com/david_m_smith/2009/04/15/is-soa-too-big-to-fail/comment-page-1/#comment-63 Jean-Claude Bellando Tue, 28 Apr 2009 23:31:35 +0000 http://blogs.gartner.com/david_m_smith/2009/04/15/is-soa-too-big-to-fail/#comment-63 It’s refreshing to hear someone have a sense of humor about SOA for once! I was worried that SOA was confounding everyone to the point that they were taking it much too seriously, and that the concept was staying far more conceptual than practical. So thank you, David, for opening up the window and letting in some fresh air. All of these overused words and concepts are getting SOA in trouble. Most potential customers are confused and still looking for a Philosopher's Stone that will transform so much nonsense into actual business efficiency. These customers are lost in the dark forest of “complete” and “definitive” solutions. To find their way, customers turn to software vendors and system integrator consultants who offer their services either for a fee (the former) or for free, using open-source software (the latter). This fairy tale becomes a nightmare, however, when witches try to trick customers into biting their poisoned apple. (I leave you to decide who the witches and fairies are.) Like a smug person, when SOA is too big, it fails. To be successful, it has to keep its feet on the ground and be based in reality. Generally, that means dealing with legacies rather than proposing supposedly ideal, yet disconnected, plans. By the way, hello to Ann Thomas Main, from the good ol’ days of middleware, when we envisioned a new world where everything would be available from the network without us knowing where it comes from. I am happy that we will finally reach that dream in 2012. I’ll be happy to celebrate with her. Jean-Claude Bellando Sr. Product Marketing Manager Axway It’s refreshing to hear someone have a sense of humor about SOA for once! I was worried that SOA was confounding everyone to the point that they were taking it much too seriously, and that the concept was staying far more conceptual than practical.

So thank you, David, for opening up the window and letting in some fresh air. All of these overused words and concepts are getting SOA in trouble. Most potential customers are confused and still looking for a Philosopher’s Stone that will transform so much nonsense into actual business efficiency.

These customers are lost in the dark forest of “complete” and “definitive” solutions. To find their way, customers turn to software vendors and system integrator consultants who offer their services either for a fee (the former) or for free, using open-source software (the latter). This fairy tale becomes a nightmare, however, when witches try to trick customers into biting their poisoned apple. (I leave you to decide who the witches and fairies are.)

Like a smug person, when SOA is too big, it fails. To be successful, it has to keep its feet on the ground and be based in reality. Generally, that means dealing with legacies rather than proposing supposedly ideal, yet disconnected, plans.

By the way, hello to Ann Thomas Main, from the good ol’ days of middleware, when we envisioned a new world where everything would be available from the network without us knowing where it comes from. I am happy that we will finally reach that dream in 2012. I’ll be happy to celebrate with her.

Jean-Claude Bellando
Sr. Product Marketing Manager
Axway

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