Cloud Computing and SOA Convergence in Your Enterprise: A Step ...

What’s New in the Clouds 27
accepts that it is okay to place business processes outside of the firewall (see
Figure 2.3). It is not a replacement for SOA or traditional enterprise architecture,
but it is an approach to architecture in which there is a core acceptance
that Internet-based resources may provide the fastest delivery, the largest number
of resources, and a minimum cost.
The general notion is that cloud computing provides another location for
core business processes using outsourced infrastructure and reusable business
processes that are accessible on demand. These Internet-borne systems and
architectures in many cases provide better development speed, access to
prebuilt resources, and much more value when compared to traditional
enterprise approaches. These are the reasons SOA proves itself on the platform
of the Web more so than within the enterprise these days: It is faster and easier,
and it provides more initial return on investment.
The adoption of “Internet-borne SOA,” or the notion of extending your
SOA to cloud providers, is finding quick acceptance. Most SOA patterns exist
outside of enterprises on the platform of the Web while architects still struggle
with SOA within the enterprise.
Composite applications are being built with emerging on-demand tools.
Those applications will need information, services, and APIs, also delivered on
demand over the Internet. Enterprises will seek to externalize existing
enterprise data to the cloud as well, and thus user management and security
will remain core issues. In just a few years, we could see many enterprises with
more business processes running outside of the firewall than within—if we can
get enterprise architects to read this book.
SOA
Shared Services
Shared Information
Shared Processes
Agility
Integration
Governance
Cloud Computing
Services on Demand
Database on Demand
Applications on Demand
Platform on Demand
Figure 2.3
Where the cloud meets SOA.