SOA WSJ: You mention a Forrester survey that says 70% of large enterprises have started to build out their SOAs. Do you think this figure will approach 100% soon? That is, do you think SOAs will be increasingly deployed over the next year or so?

KJ: Absolutely, SOAs are about supporting business flexibility, and the rewards for organizations that embrace this strategy are significant. At a recent Gartner conference, Sabre presented a case study in which they estimated the total cost for their multi-year SOA implementation to come to around $100 million. However, the cost savings they will be able recognize are huge; Sabre anticipates an ROI after only 1 year of full SOA deployment. With this type of carrot hanging out there, can you imagine any large enterprise that will not dip their toe into SOA?

However, enterprises need to be deliberate about their SOA strategy. Start small and ensure the organization builds out its SOA capabilities with effective, reliable governance & management processes in place. Once the company has a sound SOA foundation, it can begin to build out additional services, driving greater business results. It’s comforting for us to see that this is where most of our customers are today. We’re working closely with them to deliberately build up their management infrastructure, ensuring SOA success today and tomorrow.