SOA is becoming an irreversible trend in business technology, however, CIO are accustomed to seeing a proliferation of new concepts, to their rapid acceptance is still in the early stages of deployment of SOA does not seem realistic.
Beijing's cold weather did not cool the enthusiasm for Chuang's speech, December 13, 2006, the Bi Yihui Systems Limited (BEA) of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Beijing's China World Hotel's speech on stage, like the devout missionary sermon to listeners: "service-oriented architecture (Service Oriented Architecture, SOA) can help you change the way all the work." then, Chuang call out a two enterprises have deployed SOA own experiences. This is the third straight BEA World Conference held in China, and each time, Chuang almost have to repeat the same thing.
BEA and other software vendors have already seen, SOA is becoming an irreversible trend of IT applications, however, the Chief Information Officer (CIO) who can are all very proficient business and technical experts, software vendors on the concept of the introduction of various new common to them now is still in the import of the SOA concept of pay is not the reality.
"IT applications can not just stop at the concept, the concept is too many, we can not have been supplier led by the nose." Minsheng Bank of China Han Wei, general manager of technology development is one of the representatives of Yuxi. Han Wei Xi on the SOA have been quite understanding, but he did not intend to short-term deployment in Minsheng Bank SOA. Han Wei Xi believe, SOA should be well applied in China, "also takes a long time."
Solutions can not blame these skeptical CIO, as their own in explaining the concept of SOA will play these tricks when. Different suppliers based on their different backgrounds, highlight the SOA concept in its most favorable selling point: provide system integration tools companies will highlight the integration of the value of SOA; Xiaoshou enterprise resource planning (ERP) software for companies Qiangdiao SOA software modules can be repeated to applicability; application platform providers, who then told the customers to deploy SOA will make application development easier. Enterprise software vendors and uncompromising users SOA solution providers an important reason for the lack of sufficient confidence.
"SOA is not the only shiny toys - looked at the good-looking, actually no use." Accenture (Accenture, hereinafter referred to as Accenture), vice president of Greater China, Cui Bolei (Trent Mayberry) said. As a consultant, his responsibilities is to help customers correct understanding of SOA value. Accenture established a theoretical system of innovation, industrialization, integration, information infrastructure, five aspects of business method of high performance IT. "Different companies in different industries, different needs of the value of SOA to provide." Cui Bolei that the demand for different levels of enterprise, SOA will have its own unique value.
In fact, application of new technology enterprises in China has maintained a strong interest. "Information Week" and conducted jointly by Accenture in 2006, "Application of China's SOA Survey" showed up to 92.8% of Chinese companies is to understand SOA, in which small businesses have taken action to test or deploy SOA. At the same time, Chinese enterprises want to deploy new technologies to minimize risks. This also led to most of the CIO on the SOA ambivalence: the more attention were more vigilant.
While any commercial application of technology in the early stages of the concept of a mess filled with speculation, most people in the smoke and mirrors, but mature business users in China, especially in the early deployment of SOA who has realized the true value of SOA and the urgent need to deploy SOA solutions.
Is a tool, not an end
SOA is just a tool to achieve business requirements, enterprise application deployment should be from a business perspective rather than a technical point of view of SOA, SOA application of relatively mature businesses have profoundly aware of it.
Pfizer (Pfizer, hereinafter Pfizer) is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical company, a year ago, Pfizer began testing Chinese companies to deploy SOA. However, Pfizer China Pan Junjie, director of information services and technology (Sirsij Peshin) do not think that SOA is the project itself, "SOA is the application system design approach, in the bottom of the application." Based on the SOA, Pfizer will transform Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Business Intelligence (BI) applications of more than 20 projects to speed up response to customer and market change, this is the change of its information technology systems core objectives.
The Chinese companies are going through a few years ago a similar stage of development of U.S. and European companies: Enterprise SOA attention on the positive testing of the deployment, but the case of large-scale deployment of SOA by very few. "China SOA application survey" results showed that Chinese enterprises to deploy SOA If we can not really give priority to business needs. Nearly half of the surveyed companies, would "integrate existing applications," and "integration of business processes" as the primary driver of SOA deployment.
If you can not realize the real purpose of the deployment of SOA where the failure of the project is expected to be difficult or impossible to avoid. Rapid deployment in the SOA the United States, recently there have been some such cases. SOA Experts remind that the form of pure technology can show SOA, but does not allow companies to maximize the value of SOA, only the IT technology and business together and make continuous progress in order to benefit from SOA.
Business leader
SOA is not the failure of many cases because of technical problems, but there is no way to achieve organizational SOA concept. Wus Electronics (Kunshan) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to Wus e) IT manager, Wang Xiang analysis, SOA is not a pure IT concept, but with the organization, management, business models together. "This is a systematic and coordinated efforts of all sectors enterprises." He thought.
Few companies have begun to achieve business transformation through SOA target practice. Since 2004, COSCO Container Transportation Limited (COSCO) to develop new SOA-based electronic data interchange (EDI) platform for their implementation experience shows that implementation should be based on a true SOA-led operations.
COSCON internally by senior business development officers, the Department of Enterprise IT (BPS), built from a business perspective the overall IT architecture. "Our experience is, SOA business processes and so need more investment premise, BPS projects in the SOA in practice before the business process optimization, which for the SOA project has laid a good foundation." COSCON developed computer center responsible for troops that the Tao.
Before implementation of the project, COSCON to sort out business processes from start to finish again, defines the business key point, and clearly what each key point related to critical business operations, analyze key business operations in which the platform and related EDI, EDI platforms Also the need for these types of services provided business operations, ultimately COSCON defined for the EDI platform, SOA-based services in more than 40. Ma Tao concluded: "The critical business and IT meet. Business IT needs to understand the same, IT departments should also understand the business processes. Good cooperation with each other to achieve the smooth progress of the project, If I had stood on IT point of view, certainly not the successful completion of this project. "
Through the survey also found that 88.8% of surveyed enterprises have priority recognized the business value of SOA. Involved in the investigation of large and medium enterprises, respectively 43.1% and 44.6% of expectations through the deployment of SOA for business development and business process optimization. Only 12.3% of medium-sized enterprises of the value that SOA is a technical innovation. These data suggest that deployment of SOA is a business-driven organizational change, not technology-driven cost reduction.
"Mashup"-style development
A small number of people with "the concept of worship of disease" for the SOA enterprise managers can easily fascinated, they often worry that business has fallen behind, expect with a new concept for the enterprise to add halo. If you encounter such an enterprise, application SOA easily be turned into a disaster. Does not mean that companies deploy SOA using SOA technologies to build complete applications, in fact, most companies are using hybrid technology to build an application specific either SOA, can be totally "outdated" technology.
In 2004, Sinotrans Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Sinotrans) to consider re-development "ocean shipping freight forwarding," the core business system. However, the start Sinotrans not first consider what kind of technology by means of using SOA architecture and the programming was taken up consulting companies. "Enterprises must first know why the implementation of SOA, is there any need? If a system is not very complicated, in my opinion do not have to use SOA technology." Sinotrans Information Management Division Vice President Zhang Siyu that "corporate executives concerned about system functions are able to meet business needs. They do not care what kind of technology we use. "
GSK China Investment Limited (GSK) is discussed from a strategic perspective to SOA, the company said Yanqi Yu, director of information technology, SOA is neither an interface, nor a system, but a service. Yanqi Yu said: "SOA application level from the start, on demand services. As with the background where no direct relationship between the operator, the operator does not need guidance, call the program directly on it."
GSK currently used in the design of the system a lot of Web-based (Web-Based) interface, the background specifically related to what the system is completely fail to see.
"For example, experimental medicine spot data collection, research and development only from their direct interface to extract data, they actually call the procedure is Siebel (siebel) CRM system, but the R & D department is not necessary to know the data in the end come from. "Yanqi Yu explained.
Moreover, not all projects are suitable for SOA. Pfizer's Pan Junjie recognize the deployment of SOA, when it comes to mass data, SOA is not a good choice. So, Pfizer's application "could not be 100 percent are built on SOA framework."
Improve the enterprise system
Deployment of SOA can not do without reasonable sound enterprise system, while China is relatively backward in the IT business management system, it is likely to become a major obstacle to the deployment of SOA.
In many Chinese enterprises have dealt with after the Cuibo Lei Accenture found that Chinese companies have very strong characteristics of decentralized management, IT management is embodied in the various sectors of the IT manager to CIO in addition to reporting, but also the right head of the department of business reporting, which enable the management authority of the CIO greatly reduced.
"Many enterprise IT departments emphasis on technical support, essentially equivalent to a system administrator's role, but the SOA required to provide IT services, IT departments, the status of this and many enterprises are contradictory." Shanghai's IT manager, Wang Xiang Shi E that "IT departments in those relatively strong, relatively independent status of the enterprise, the implementation of SOA will be more easier."
Shanghai Hua Wang Ding Hongbo Industrial Co., Ltd. CIO has a similar idea, he said, on-demand IT services to implement SOA in the enterprise is an important way concept. To this end, the company last year on IT sector reform, from an independent financial accounting. Thus, reform is easier to measure since the cost of IT services to lay the foundation for the deployment of SOA.
IT sector's influence in the enterprise SOA projects will also influence the success or failure probability. Shanghai Jie Road Sports Limited technology development and process management team by the company's information management center management. This architecture enables IT departments in the company's status and influence is relatively high, "at least for the company's business operations, process monitoring and analysis, changes are accomplished by our IT department. So that we can influence the decision to do SOA projects. "Tongji Long said the company's IT manager.
Carefully choose technology platform
Enterprise SOA platform needs its own development, or by the suppliers? This is the enterprise SOA deployment should be carefully taken into account. "China SOA Applications Survey", in regard to the deployment of SOA can not achieve the expected reasons, survey shows different views of the enterprise. 56.3% of the deployed enterprise that immature technology or product is expected to lead to SOA applications reach the main factor.
Sinotrans in the development of SOA systems do not use the product supplier, but by their own development. Deputy General Manager of Information Management Department of Sinotrans Zhang Siyu that "left the SOA platform, between the two applications can be built according to SOA, when thinking of each other registration services.
Of course, if companies have existing applications, by using the manufacturer's products to achieve SOA architecture will be more easier. "Zhang Siyu understanding of SOA is not limited to multiple systems, a single complex system can be applied within the SOA architecture, as a complex system may itself is separated by the different functions of each module, and between different functional modules need to call each other.
BAX Global Limited (BAX) China, Zhu force IT managers think, SOA is a very good idea, but the software vendor's products must be combined with professional experience, "SOA is the enterprise value of the original combination of decentralized systems together, it must be combined with advanced business processes. In other words, companies must first provide a complete business process, SOA can be obtained with a good result. "
Fujian Provincial Industrial Equipment Installation Co., Ltd. Information Manager Guo believes that, in the choice of SOA products and consulting services consulting business should be the main consideration on the understanding and implementation of SOA technology capabilities, SOA enables IT products are more focused on business processes, and the efficient running of its business.
SOA body shrouded in fog, is the application of concepts shared characteristics of early stages of deployment. China, many companies are testing SOA or Web services, but as vice president of Accenture Greater China, Cui Bolei the evaluation, the Chinese company should use their internal SOA integration challenges, rather than to provide new services. SOA's business value is far from being tapped.
Tap the commercial value of SOA, SOA requires not only the concepts of Chinese enterprises Analysis of authenticity, see through the essence of SOA, then those who need to learn from pioneers of experience, understanding of business SOA can provide value. That is why the early deployment of SOA Sinotrans so the experience can only have a larger room for interpretation.
SOA is known as the software industry, "silver bullet", meaning that a key solution to all problems. "Silver bullet" may not exist, but the desire to quickly respond to customer demand, market competition in the global Chinese companies, SOA is no doubt means that the opportunity and value.