Web Services as an Enabling Standard

Web services, and all the substandards that support it, have a bright future in the world of application integration. If nothing else, they provide the option to apply Service-Oriented Application Integration. While Web services is not the only standard that applies in this area, it's the only one that people are paying attention to today. Indeed, we are in danger of misapplying Web services, using it within problem domains where it does not belong. That's the trouble with new standards that receive a lot of press. Project leaders, architects, and even vendors want to apply it to areas where it won't be successful.

Clearly, you need to consider the value of Web services to the world of application integration and its proper use within an enterprise or trading community. As we move forward, you can be sure Web services will find its proper place in the application integration stack.