"Do You Speak SOA"?

SOA has a language of its own with numerous terms that have as many meanings and connotations as there are architects. However, to communicate effectively about SOA both inside and outside the enterprise, it has become essential for architects to start “speaking the same language”. In this month’s EA Forums Clive Hatton, senior consultant and trainer at Real IRM, will discuss The Open Group’s recently announced SOA Ontology Technical Standard. It can be used to understand SOA, and more importantly, to set common definitions and interpretations of key concepts that can be agreed and used with others in the company and between organizations. In addition, the Ontology reflects the lessons learned about what terms NOT to use to avoid confusion, and how to best distinguish among some common and often overused concepts and their roles in SOA. Clive Hatton has consulted on the architecture in SOA projects since 2006. He participates in The Open Group’s SOA Work Group, presents at local and international conferences and has been quoted in a number of local publications.