WEB SERVICE ARCHITECTURE

Web Service Architecture

Web Services Architecture

Introduction

Web services offer a characteristic way of interoperating between various software applications, running on several frameworks and/or platforms. The “Web services architecture” (WSA) offers a theoretical model and a framework for Web services comprehension and the associations between the sections of this model. “Web services architecture” identifies those an international parts of the international Web services network that are obligatory so as to guarantee interoperability between Web services. Therefore, it also called an interoperability architecture. This paper discusses the importance of XML and Web Service Architecture. This paper also addresses the issues for the need for interoperable web designs in the business world today.

Discussion

One of the most significant trends in the technology space is the rise in the use of Web services architectures (WSAs). WSAs are an approach to systems integration that makes it possible for users of the technology to integrate applications both within an organization and across its various locations. Effectually, an WSA acts as IT strategy that organizes the discrete functions contained in enterprise applications into interoperable, standards-based services that can be combined and reused to meet business needs. (McGovern, 2003 75)

WSAs make it possible to reuse the services that comprise an application almost infinitely across an organization. WSAs also help companies to maximize computing power by strategically balancing the locations of services on different servers, even on servers outside of the corporate LAN, if desired. WSAs offers the advantage of enabling an organization to quickly assemble and dissolve trading partnerships suit a shifting business environment, and of making it possible for applications to be either internally integrated or developed from scratch using a minimum of resources. (Alonso, 2010 35-40)

While the concepts behind WSA have been around for more than ten years, the underlying technology of Web services has greatly supported the ascendance of WSA. The key challenges to businesses interested in implementing WSA today are understanding how it can help an organization achieve its goals and reengineering business processes to exploit its capabilities. Major IT vendors are investing heavily in the WSA market, which is estimated by one study to reach a worldwide volume of over $8 billion by 2016.

Description

WSA is an architectural framework that breaks down software elements and business processes into standardized components that can be combined and reused with minimal effort. It does this by providing a layer of middleware that enforces policies and rules for services such as security, routing, and workflow. In an WSA, all functions are defined as services; however, an WSA only defines a service's required parameters and results, not the technology used to implement those results. Thus, the technology that delivers a service is independent of the WSA. Applications based on Web services can plug into middleware to be reused or recombined into composite applications. WSAs may use technologies other than Web Services; however, most businesses are considering the two in conjunction with each other, and that is the focus of this report. (Ballinger, 2003 66-67)

To implement an WSA, a company first analyzes its ...