SOA: State of the UnionSOA: State of the UnionChris Howard, VP and Service DirectorBurton Group

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Burton Group

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“Most SOA efforts will fail spectacularly.”

“SOA is a 20‐year initiative”

“Didn't we try this 20 years y yago?”

"In the beginning, we didn't have a clue what we 

“We built a great SOA runtime, but

g g,were doing.”

We built a great SOA runtime, but a) none of our executives care

b) no one is using it”

“We can't use the term SOA with our executives any 

) g

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more.”Anne Thomas Manes, VP and Research Director, Burton Group

“Reusability is always overpromised"Reusability is always overpromised

“Is there such thing as a Complex Object Access 

“Y ' i t d $X j t t

g p jProtocol?"

“You mean, we're going to spend $X just to replicate existing functionality?"

CFO to architect: "How much money is this going to save me?"g g

“If no one is reaching maturity yet, why are we still trying?"

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still trying?

EVIDENCE OF THE TRIBAL YAWNSOA: State of the Union

EVIDENCE OF THE TRIBAL YAWN

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Vendor Messages

• New branding of old stuff 

• “We're 100% SOA compatible!”

“W ff l�� �

• “We offer a complete SOA solution!”

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Technical Challenges

• Perceived (and actual) complexitycomplexity

• SOA concepts don't always map 1:1 withalways map 1:1 with topology or tools

• Trying to do tooTrying to do too much/wrong things with wrong tools

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Design Challenges

• Partitioning design and Separation of Concernsp• UI

• Applicationpp

• Data

• Network

• Dynamic data center

• Consolidation of functions into platformsp• Modeling is still evolving

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Project Challenges

• SOA is a long‐term strategic undertaking

• Fixes and point releases trump strategic finfrastructure work

• Power/priority struggles

M j d• Many projects are scoped on an annual basis

• Churn in executive• Churn in executive leadership

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Cultural Challenges

• Business unit/IT coupling

• Shared solutions require shared objectivesobjectives

• Ownership paradigm changeschanges

• No incentive for collaboration

• SOA and "Cube Farm”: Mutually exclusive?

• Business domain “normalization” is politically charged

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Management Challenges

• People may be tasked with unreachable goals

• Advocacy (to management) is complicated• Advocacy (to management) is complicated

• Great collaboration is required

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Real Risks

• The best “academic” technical solutions may not be “right” (context and fit)

• If cultural problems are not addressed, outcome is SOA silos

• Assumptions by IT staff about Business Value may be wrong

B i i d b i d i h IT• Business is used to not being engaged with IT

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ARCHITECTURESOA: State of the Union

ARCHITECTUREREVISITED

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Simultaneous Rates of Change

Varying rates of change = sustainable adaptation

Fashion screams: “Try this!Fashion  screams:  Try this! No, no, try this!”

Commerce absorbs and exploits h f f h

Fast

the pace of fashion, creates work and wealth

Infrastructure supports commerce and fashion. Its long‐term payback isn’t justified in strictly commercial terms

Governance is empowered to take on the cost and disruption of creating infrastructure Slow

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g

Source: Stewart Brand, The Clock of the Long Now: Time and Responsibility

Slow

Enterprise Architecturel l f h

Business Strategies

Facilitates simultaneous rates of change

Business Strategies

Prescribe Supports

Busine

Operational Model

Formalizes

ess

Enterprise Architecture

FormalizesInfluences

Tec

IT Infrastructure

RealizesGuides

chnolog

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gy

Chaos to Order (town planning)

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Chaos to Order (town planning)

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Simplicity: Not as simple as it seems.h lMost technology goes 

through cycles of development and change indevelopment and change in both internal and external complexity. p y

As the technology matures devices becomematures… devices become easier to use, althoughusually by becoming more complex inside

Simplicity Managed Complexity

usually by becoming more complex inside.Donald Norman, The Invisible Computer

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Simplicity = Managed Complexity

Governance + Architecture = Managing Complexity= Managing Complexity

• Provide safety

• Know where you are, where you are going, and risks to avoid

“The proper role of [governance] …is to grepresent the interest of the f hfuture to the present.”

Lester Thurow

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Lester Thurow

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Enterprise Architecture loses control when…

• It is ignored

• It is undervaluedIt is undervalued

• It is disconnected from reality

• It is frozen

• It is inconsistent

• It is circumvented

• It inhibits

. . . don’t ask—it’s forbidden to know—what end the gods will give me or you.Even as we speak, envious time is running away from us. Carpe diem, for in the future you can believe the minimum

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believe the minimum.Developerus Heroicus

Empowered Architecture

• Is outcome‐oriented

• Prescribes the shape of thingsPrescribes the shape of things

• Fit (requirement)

• Describes the place of thingsp g

• Context (dependencies)

• Makes good design easier “No one can use rehearsal time as wellg g

• Runs interference

• Takes advice

No one can use rehearsal time as well as Simon Rattle. He's absolutely disciplined, but also inspiring. He urges you to do things you hadn't thought 

bl f ”you were capable of.”Musician, Berlin Philharmonic

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ENGAGING THE BUSINESSSOA: State of the Union

ENGAGING THE BUSINESS

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Enter the Conversation

The evolution of IT from cost center to strategy driver started about five years ago After living through thestarted about five years ago. After living through the pain of shadow IT in the business units…Baird was not going to thrive unless IT had “relevant conversations g gwith the business units about how IT could contribute to their success.”

IT had to prove it could offer business solutions, “not toys and technology that we thought weretechnology that we thought were cool.” 

Brian Brylow (CTO), Baird 

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Having the Correct Conversation

D d A li i

Portfolio Management

Demand Application

Application Rationalization

sine

ss

Capability Modeling

Business Process Improvement

Bu

Process Design

Interface Designology

Interface Design

Service DesignTechno

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SOA Facilitates

• Compliance reporting

• Software as a Service (SaaS)

• Unified Communications

• Legacy modernization

• Outsourcing/Offshoring

• Provisioning and Role Management

• Business Process Management (BPM)

• Business Intelligence (BI)

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But…

SOA is Part of a Something Bigger

Overemphasis on SOA in isolation distracts from enterprise goalsp g

SOA makes it easier to accomplish higher goals

SOA must have business relevanceSOA must have business relevance

SOA is not a thing

SOA is an architectural styleSOA is an architectural style

Technology implementation of SOA principles willchangechange

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Conclusion 

• SOA is a valid architectural style• But may not be appropriate for all casesy pp p f

• SOA can provide cost savings• But not without careful financial analysis

• SOA principles are fundamental to agility• But do not guarantee agilitySOA t• SOA promotes reuse• But does not guarantee reuse

• SOA fatigue is realSOA fatigue is real• So, we have to raise the level of discussion

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Burton Group Research•Vantage Point 2008-2009: Think Big; Take Small Steps•A New Classicism•Enterprise Architects: Sowing the Seeds of SOA•Enterprise Architects: Sowing the Seeds of SOA Success•Registry Services: The Foundation for SOA Governanceg y•The Registry and SOA Governance Market Landscape•Application Rationalization: Burning Fat and Building M lMuscle