Interest in SOA grows for cost reduction methods, says guru

Written by James Gardiner

There is growing interest in service-oriented architecture (SOA) as it underpins initiatives aimed at cost reduction, according to an expert.

Jess Thompson, research vice president at Gartner, says the increasing popularity and adoption of software-as-a-service (SaaS), business process management and cloud computing has helped to sustain the appeal of SOA.

"Furthermore, some SOA initiatives already underway are being accelerated because users want to experience the benefits of SOA sooner rather than later," he suggests.

However, Gartner warns of the dangers of overlooking the need for good project management when implementing the technology, which may prompt enterprises to seek London IT support.

Mr Thompson suggests that firms need a "central entity that ensures tight coordination throughout the project", which could be an IT consultant.

Recent research from the analyst found that 68 per cent of companies in the UK have already adopted SaaS applications, while 17 per cent of these have been using them for less than a year.