PCQuest : With Enterprise 2.0 and cloud computing gaining grounds, what role does SOA has to play in such areas?
Fujitsu : Enterprise 2.0 and cloud computing explain the real use of SOA in terms of composition of services from various sources and have a collective implementation. This gives importance, for the first time, to the Service Consumption layer and shifting the focus from pure Service Provisioning.

While SaaS still explores on providing re-usable Services, Enterprise 2.0 (based on Web 2.0) help in better adoption and utilization of these Services thus in effective realizing the goals of SOA architecture. These services like wikis, blogs, enterprise search etc. are now part of standard portal software ex: SAP NetWeaver Enterprise Portal etc.

PCQuest : It's being touted that SOA in near future will blend into Web-Oriented Architecture (SaaS). What are your thoughts in this regard? Does the next step after SOA is towards cloud-computing? Or will SOA be an important part of cloud-computing framework?
Fujitsu : Software as Service (SaaS) will definitely make the IT Services more accessible and simultaneously result in lowering the costs. But since SaaS involves exposing services out of the boundaries of a Company network security will be the first concern before an enterprise thinks about it. On-demand services are rapidly growing in the market and SOA will open up more aspects to it. As mentioned above Web Orineted Architecture is true implementation of SOA of which SaaS is only a part of it.

We should consider WOA as the Service Consumption layer while SaaS as the Service Provision layer and thus equal importance in furthering the SOA landscapes.

PCQuest : SOA is all about consuming services efficiently. In Enterprise 2.0 domain, how can an enterprise go about implementing SOA to have maximum benefit, and what kind of technologies will it have to deploy?
Fujitsu : Actually, SOA is more then just consuming web services. In Fujitsu we have used SOA for point-to-point architecture to complex orchestration logics for ERP Cycles. Like the Order-to-Cash Integration cycle exposes itself and can be reused for other implementations.

AIA has new Web Service registry module which acts as a repository and knowledgebase for the existing Web services developed by the organization.

Depending upon the complexity and feasibility enterprise can go for A2A or B2B architecture. SOA suite holds almost all the elements to cater the need of any enterprise.

From technology stack the minimum requirement is Application Server and SOA suite (BPEL, ESB) which is sufficient to provide A2A integration. Oracle Business Rules provides the flexibility to manage the Business Rules from one central system. Business Activity Monitor (BAM) can be very useful where high visibility is required at every point.