SANTA CRUZ, USA: In a recent analysis done by Evans Data Corporation (EDC) says developers are showing a trend toward favoring the use of Java vs. .NET when it comes to implementing service-oriented architectures (SOAs).

The number of companies planning or executing SOA deployments on a Java platform increased slightly during the last six months while those  planning to build SOA implementations on .NET decreased by almost 20 percent according to new Evans Data survey of developers and IT managers actively working on Web Services.

.NET deployments for SOA were still ahead with 31 percent targeting that platform, but with 28 percent now expecting to target Java technologies; the rival platforms are virtually tied. Almost one in five companies are expecting to support both.

"There's currently a lot of activity in the Open Source world, and particularly in the Eclipse communities, around SOA" said John Andrews, CEO of Evans Data Corp. "Most of the major players in that space are introducing new solutions aimed at SOA, and they are almost invariably Java-based. Open Source SOA looks poised to become a real force in the industry and consequently a serious contender to .NET"

• Over 70 percent of those writing Web Services have experienced a cost saving. Code re-use and automation of processes were the primary reasons
• Testing and validating Web Services is the greatest challenge for developing an SOA, but determining an ROI is almost as great a challenge
• Business to business implementations are the most common uses for Web Services, followed by data integration

SOA is finally coming into its own, with three-quarters of all companies that have built or are building Web Services now planning to implement SOA. More than one in five have already adopted a formal SOA for company-wide adoption.