Service-oriented Architecture standards and tools are firming up nicely. But in a prime example of the maxim "be careful what you wish for," many IT groups are now scrambling to unravel the cultural, management, and political complexities that come along with maturing SOA implementations. A number of vendors are promoting SOA appliances as the remedy for what ails IT in terms of integration, security, and governance. But when architects and developers go shopping for these new "SOA-in-a-box" systems, they're too often left with more questions than answers. Even the definition of what, exactly, comprises a SOA appliance is in flux.
