Login, change your address, subscribe to new or manage current magazines or e-newsletter subscriptions
ComputerWorldNetwork WorldCIO CanadaCIO Canada Governments' ReviewJobUniverse Canada
Advanced Search
Knowledge Centres
Content Types
Featured White Papers
Managing a growing threat: an executive's guide to Web application securityManaging a growing threat: an executive's guide to Web application security read more
Unleashing the Business Value of Today's MainframeUnleashing the Business Value of Today's Mainframe read more
IBM Whitepaper: Exploring key facts about Business Process Management with IBM WebSphere softwareIBM Whitepaper: Exploring key facts about Business Process Management with IBM WebSphere software read more
Yuk it Up
IT Executive Development Series
Some of Canada's leading academics discuss the best leadership practices for a wide range of IT challenges. It's a "must read" for those senior managers and other professionals who spearhead the IT strategies within their organizations.
Featured IT Quiz
IT Quiz: Test yourself to see if you have the knowledge to fit into the open source world, and compare yourself with the rest of the respondents
Featured White Papers
This white paper details Intel's current and future energy-saving initiatives to reduce costs and support business goals. Learn how Intel IT is extending its efforts to be a role model enterprise IT organization by supporting the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, which aims to drive a 50 percent reduction in computer-related CO2 emissions worldwide. No registration required.

Sign-Up for
Enterprise Infrastructure
eNewsletter Delivered Weekly
Click here
Page 1 of 2

SOA transforms the data centre

Enterprise software vendors have finally recognized that standardization isn’t a four-letter word — or so it appears.
Advertisement

This year will see every top vendor working to overhaul its application suites to realize the benefits of SOA (service-oriented architecture), a methodology for connecting software components through standards-based Web services in order to ease IT integration. According to Forrester Research Inc., 77 per cent of large enterprises will be actively implementing SOAs by the end of this year. But don’t expect simplification from the SOA trend, note industry observers. While building an IT system from components gives IT managers flexibility, on the flipside, it also means every one of those components has to be maintained.

Over the past 18 months, SOAs have become more a reality, says Don Campbell, vice-president, product innovation and technology, for Ottawa-based business intelligence (BI) vendor Cognos. “It’s still not everywhere, but I think that everyone is really serious about them. Leveraging the infrastructure in the environment is very important.”

In particular, 2006 will continue the trend of focusing on the big IT picture, Campbell notes, as enterprises are perhaps less interested in fringe technologies and more about the core infrastructure and how to support them going forward.

The rising interest in SOA means more interest in BI tools to facilitate the availability of real-time access to live business data. As in 2005, this year will likely see increased use of BI software to spot business trends and figure out how product lines and business units are performing. Specialist vendors include Cognos Inc. and Hyperion Solutions Corp., while platform vendors Microsoft Corp., SAP AG and Oracle Corp. have been expanding the BI capabilities in their products.

“The vendor that can provide the most integration and breadth of solutions is high on (organizations’) lists right now,” Campbell said. Indeed, research firm IDC predicts that IT consolidation in 2006 will drive new patterns of infrastructure acquisition and management; this will help simplify the existing complexity and also help pave the way for implementing a SOA in future.

According to Cognos user Mike Der, senior business analyst for Mark Anthony Group, the current challenges are around managing huge amounts of information and making sure the data is accurate for its mobile workforce. BI software plays a large role in the firm’s operations, including analyzing purchasing data to provide the sales force with factual information needed to negotiate sales. This information is also helpful for improving shelf space and helping to gain profitability for its customers.

Specifically, the Vancouver-based manufacturer and distributor of premium wines and alcoholic beverages uses BI to generate status reports and sales dates to in-house and mobile workers. Standardization will play a big part in 2006, he adds, as the firm looks to improve its IT infrastructure.

“A lot of it isn’t about technical limitations.…It’s about taking full advantage of the software,” Der said. “We have a lot of information and it’s about getting the resources to manage it.”

Advertisement

Productivity Trumps All

IDC also predicts that 2006 will see moderate growth in software spending, a modest increase of 5.5 per cent. This seems to reflect a continuing trend: IT has been moving away from developing new systems in favour of getting more out of existing systems.

“IT departments are going to face ongoing security threats, application and information management/integration issues and the challenge of using IT to deliver on greater productivity throughout the business,” says David Senf, an analyst with Toronto-based IT research firm IDC Canada Ltd. On the vendor side, the large platform players such as Microsoft, Oracle, SAP and IBM, Senf said, will continue to beef up making strategic and tactical acquisitions to grow share into many more niche markets.

Ultimately, it’s about taking the existing software further, said Laura Ryall, an MIS director for automotive lumbar manufacturer Schukra Lumbar Systems in Windsor, Ont. The firm recently upgraded its automated IT infrastructure based on ERP software from SSA Global. The Web-based technology allowed the firm to reduce its data recovery processes by 30 per cent, and order-planning activities from three hours to less than 30 minutes.

Page 1 of 2
Send to a Friend  Rate This Page  Print This PageAdd a new comment

Bookmark this article on:
del.icio.us| Digg it| Furl| Google| Technorati| StumbleIt| Yahoo!

Have something to say about this article? Add a new comment

If you find a comment inappropriate, You can notify the moderator by clicking the Report an innapropriate comment icon.
ADD A COMMENT
Name:*Your email address will not appear online and will be used only in the event that the editor wishes to contact you personally for additional comment.
City:
Email:
Title:*
Comment:*
* required fields


Related Content
Articles
The 'L' word (03/17/2008)

Technology Moment podcasts
IDC Case Study: Identity And Access Management Buying Criteria.
IDC analyses IAM buying criteria and deployment at Coppin State University. Coppin State replaces "first generation" IAM solution to obtain benefits needed for today's agile enterprise: ease of integration, rapid deployment, simplified compliance, flexibility.
White Papers
Branham Group Report: Unleashing the Business Value of Today's Mainframes
Over the past four decades, the reliability, security, and performance of the mainframe, or System z platform and its associated subsystems, has led it to become the backbone for much of the world's corporate data.
E-mail a Friend
Branham Group Report: Deploying New Workloads to System Z
Where distributed systems were once viewed as potentially more cost effective and easier to manage than the mainframe, the demand for processing has increased the associated costs in this environment. Rising electrical costs and increasing personnel requirements for large distributed infrastructures have increased its total cost of ownership while the TCO of the System z platform continues to decrease.
E-mail a Friend
Managing a growing threat: an executive's guide to Web application security.
More and more companies are relying on Web-based applications to • provide online services to their employees, • support e-commerce sales and • leverage portals, discussion boards and blogs that help staff better communicate with customers, partners and suppliers.
E-mail a Friend
The IBM Rational AppScan lifecycle solution: building Web application security into software and systems delivery.
An overview of IBM's marketplace-leading Web application security solutions that gives organizations the necessary visibility and control to address the critical Web application security challenge.
E-mail a Friend
The business value of Web 2.0 technology
By driving higher levels of efficiency and flexibility, Web 2.0 will forever change the way businesses operate – and the early adopters of Web 2.0 technology will enjoy the greatest competitive opportunities. This brochure explores how IBM Web 2.0 "Goes to Work" initiative can help your organization foster innovation and flexibility. IBM's Web 2.0 vision is to help businesses enable employees to do their jobs better and faster.
E-mail a Friend
Report: The Global Innovation Outlook 3.0: The New New Media
Almost every company, organization, and individual — be it a billion-dollar multinational, a local government, or a person with a passion — is navigating the new communications lands