Ask an IT executive to define service-oriented architecture (SOA), and there's a good chance you'll get at least some kind of a reasonable answer. Ask that executive's functional peers the same question, and the answer might not be so clear.
SOA has become a hot topic in the IT world, and many view it as the next stage in the evolutionary process for companies and the IT that supports them. "SOA is inevitable," Charles Abrams, research director with Gartner (NYSE: IT) told the E-Commerce Times. "The misconception is that people think they can make a decision to go SOA or not go SOA."
What it means to "go SOA," however, is less certain, particularly outside enterprise IT circles. The concept may offer greater efficiency, productivity and collaboration and enable competitive advantage and growth, but if you don't know what it is, it probably won't take you too far.
