People as important as IT in SOA deployments

A study by market research firm Link Group found that half of companies are deploying service oriented architecture (SOA) to enable efficiencies and cost savings, and a further 27 percent are piloting such projects.

"SOA strategies are helping clients deliver tangible benefits as they advance from the adoption to the deployment phase," said Sandy Carter, vice president of SOA strategy, marketing and channels at IBM, which commissioned the study.

However, IT research company Butler Group warned that technology alone will not see SOA projects succeed in the long term.

Butler Group's SOA Governance report suggests that, while technology is important for success, it is vital to put the right people in the right roles, and give them the authority they need to ensure that the deployment is consistent with business needs.

"Most organisations deploying SOA leave it too late to implement effective governance," said Rob Hailstone, software infrastructure practice director at Butler Group.

"The longer you leave it, the more difficult it becomes to retrofit governance to an operational SOA environment. However, the effort must be made if the SOA initiative is not to descend into chaos."

The study concludes that, while discussion of governance tends to focus on the technology, this is only a small part of the overall effort.

The ideal time for an organisation to commit to SOA governance is at the start of the initiative to ensure that ownership is clear.