INTENDED AUDIENCE

The Executive’s Guide to Web Services targets a diverse group of potential readers. This book is not meant to be a technical reference, and therefore does not explain the details of programming Web services. It is, however, a business book that provides a Web services primer, focusing on the application of Web services for the creation of business value and competitive advantage. The primary readers of this book will likely fall into the following categories:

• “C-Level” and Senior Executives —Those executives and business leaders who need to understand the strategic implications of Web services and how they might be used to create business value, lower cost structures, enable entry into new markets, and allow access to new customers and suppliers.

• Business and IT Managers —Those business and IT managers with divisional or Line of Business (LOB) responsibility who need to understand how Web services can be used to drive greater operational efficiency and identify new sources of competitive advantage.

• Business and IT Practitioners —Those business and IT professionals who will be asked to design, build, and implement Web services solutions and need to determine if, where, and when to use Web services to deliver the right solutions in support of the business strategy.

This book is essential reading for all executives, managers, and practitioners who want or need to gain an understanding of how this nascent technology will imminently change the global competitive landscape— providing all the information that business leaders need to keep up to speed with this rapidly emerging technology.