Messaging systems have traditionally been the linchpin technology for businesses implementing service-oriented architectures. But Sonic Software Corp. and Iona Technologies PLC argue that enterprise service-bus technology is the way to go.
Integration services until recently were implemented with a messaging system that carries data from one application to another in a point-to-point connection. IBM's WebSphere MQ (formerly MQ Series) and Microsoft Message Queuing or MSMQ are the two leaders in the field.
Enterprise-service buses are more general purpose, combining messaging systems with Web services, data transformation, and intelligent routing capabilities. That allows data from one application to be sent to many destinations without advance knowledge of the applications running at each one, says David Chappell, in his book, Enterprise Service Bus (O'Reilly, 2004). Chappell is Sonic's VP and chief technology evangelist.
ESBs support service-oriented architectures by supplying the message routing and application connectivity to make "a set of reusable business services widely available," said Forrester Research analyst Mike Gilpin in an August 2004 report. All this means that implementing a service-oriented architecture system is easier using ESBs, backers of the technology say.
