'A' is for Architecture
Confused about the myriad definitions of SOA? The first thing you need to know is that it's an architecture. But don't forget that there's more to architecture than a blueprint.
That's because a software architecture must define more than the structure of the resulting implementation. It must define the relationships between the pieces (components), the environment in which the resulting system will operate, and—just like the architecture for Fallingwater — provide guidelines for current and future builders (programmers) regarding how everything should fit together, and into the environment.
In the case of SOA, this means how everything fits together, and into, the business environment. So if your organization's SOA isn't designed, or being designed, in the context of the total built environment, guess what? It's an SO, not an SOA.
Conversely, there are architectures, and there are service-oriented architectures. More on this next week.
