ndependent software vendors (ISV) recognize that Web Services technology is much more than a “checkbox” feature. In fact, its not a feature at all?it’s a fundamental shift in technology standards toward a service-oriented architecture (SOA). Web Services architecture will allow an ISV to leapfrog competition, enter new markets, forge new business relationships, and even exploit new market opportunities. Today’s IT buyer wants to be able to invoke and consume system functionality from applications written using Java? and Microsoft® .NET. Plus, Web Services offer a faster, cheaper, better approach to application integration.
Given how critical Web Services are likely to be to an ISV, the question isn’t whether to support Web Services, but how. The “Build vs. Buy” debate is as old as Pascal?and we’re referring here to the 17th century mathematician, not the 20th century programming language. An ISV’s first inclination may be to “build” in-house the core Web Service functionality, which includes implementing support for SOAP 1.1 & 1.2, WSDL 1.1, XML Schema 1999/2000/2001, UDDI version 2, and many other standards. To do this successfully is extremely resource intensive, and very few ISVs seriously contemplate creating, ground-up, their own proprietary Web Services solution. Infrastructure: Buy it or build it?
