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Web services – more than this year’s model
Web services technology uses the Internet to dramatically increase the power of the software developer. It has profound implications for the way software is created, delivered and sold – for corporations, software companies, network players and consumers. Software vendors and service providers need to change their offerings and strategies to encompass web services. Platform providers – Microsoft and IBM in particular – will define the computing landscape for the next five to ten years. Web Services for the Enterprise: Opportunities and Challenges tells you how to prosper in this new environment.
What are web services?
Web services offer a compelling new blueprint for implementing communication between applications and services over the Internet. Advocates promise that they will transform the Internet from a relatively static medium – with isolated “islands” of information and processing – into a global, pervasive middleware platform that allows software programs to collaborate online. This transition will create value-added opportunities for both software players and network service providers.
Web services provide an implementation-independent mechanism through which applications can interact. These technologies prescribe a new way of deploying software to make it available for direct program-to-program access across the Internet. They extend the concept of component-based software development and combine it with the power of IP across mobile and fixed communications lines. New, generally agreed standards such as SOAP and UDDI are making this possible.
In-depth, realistic analysis – allowing you to plan with confidence
Web Services for the Enterprise: Opportunities and Challenges explains the new standards and their impact. It presents users’ views and readiness to adopt web services, based on an interactive survey conducted for this report. We analyse provider strategies and the application domains where web services will have the most impact on information technology in business.
Web services will challenge the way software systems are built, delivered and integrated. However, for the next two to three years, technology use will be based on the pragmatic, internal applications of these benefits, rather than the “blue sky” pictures of dynamic online collaboration painted by many of the technology suppliers. Ovum’s research is grounded in reality, allowing you to both understand where this market is headed and what strategies your enterprise should be developing.
Why you need this research
Software product providers
The concept of web services is already over-hyped – and many potential adopters are increasingly cynical about what they perceive as a “goldrush” mentality amongst software vendors. We help you understand the real role that web services will play, and its real benefits. Our independent analysis of how the market will develop helps you to:
- drive your technology strategies
- position yourself against competitors
- show customers just how important the market is – without “turning them off”.
Also benefit from the results of Ovum’s user survey that tells you why you can’t push your customers too far or too fast.
Systems integrators
Systems integrators will play a key role in bringing web services solutions to market. Particularly when web services technology is applied to enterprises’ internal and external application integration challenges. Understand which applications will be in demand, and how you can add value. We help you build your business case for internal development, and to customers.
Users
Enterprises are flooded with information about web services technology and its evolution. The “advice” that is currently available is of poor quality, often because it focuses exclusively on standards. Our clear, authoritative advice explains exactly what the technology can (or can’t) do – and who can provide it.
xSPs
Web services technology can help xSPs to add value to offerings, open up new revenue streams and lower the barriers to entry for new customers. It allows your customers to build links between systems that they host themselves, and functions that they outsource to xSPs. To build a sound business case for this new enterprise you need Ovum’s independent analysis of key supplier strategies and market developments.
Telcos
Both fixed and mobile operators will be interested in web services. It has the potential to affect operators in at least two ways:
- users: web services can make it easier for telcos to build and integrate new OSS components to support next-generation network services
- providers: operators need to consider acting as xSPs by using the technology as a route to offering hosted software services over their networks.
Table of Contents
A – Management summary
B – Web services: market overview
The web services vision. Definition of web services. The technology’s heritage and how relates to other technologies such as COM and CORBA. Web services in the context of the ‘pervasive computing’ vision. Web services visions and strategies. User research findings in the context of a ‘web services development timeline’.
C – Applications of web services
Identifying the key potential applications of web services, their drivers, barriers and value propositions, and other substitutes. Key suppliers’ positioning.
D – Web services infrastructure and the supplier ecosystem
Identifying the software and service infrastructure required to deliver on each type of web services application. Web services as a vehicle to deliver supporting infrastructure (e.g. metering, rating, billing, QoS and monitoring).
E – Lessons from early adopters
Findings from Ovum’s end-user research. Analysis of companies’ expectations, motivations, challenges and fears about web services technology and business models. Highlighting areas of confusion over the role of web services - particularly its complex relationship with EAI.
F – Competitive analysis of major influencers and vendors
The activities, visions and strategies of the big software players and the work of standards bodies.
G – Messages and strategies for market players
H – Market development and forecasts
Forecast overview. Market development scenarios. Global market forecasts. Regional market forecasts.
J – Web services technologies
Core WS technologies – SOAP, WSDL and UDDI. Analysis of the important qualities in the surrounding “ecosystem” technologies – development tools; integration tools; middleware platforms; service monitoring and management tools; and billing, metering and rating platforms. 
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