As the trend towards Web services moves forward, it becomes more important that we understand its roots and origination. Subjects such as Web services, which have a tendency to be technologically discussed, should be viewed from a business angle wherever possible. In particular, the real possibilities of Web services can best be grasped when its foundation and the business needs for it are well understood. With some luck, as my background is technology, I'll be able to shed some light on why this trend has become so powerful and why it now has a chance to succeed in business.

In the Beginning...
The desire to create a layer of technology accessible to all interested and compatible parties has existed for years. Whether you're looking at the operating system to run all other operating systems, standards for communication (EDI is the best example), or the basic concepts behind Java, the goal remains the same - one way for all components to work together. For a variety of reasons, most often self-inflicted, no one standard ever emerged to bring about a common platform for all to use. The goal remained out of reach, also for a number of reasons, but two stand out above the others. First, true cross-platform capability was never achieved. Without a level playing field there was no need to make a change in the IT business model. Second, companies weren't willing to accept the services concept as a means of achieving business functionality. Business was robust, the existing systems worked, and the services concept suffered from the "not invented here" syndrome. Without a commonly-accepted platform and usage by a significant sector of business (any business), there was no way to achieve a common services-based platform.

A significant business driver (the compelling event, if you would) was required to move things towards common ground. That event took shape in the Internet Revolution, and drove both business and technology to where we are today. Description of how and what took place is available elsewhere (on the Net of course), so there's little need to belabor the point. A simple review of popular paradigms (see Table 1) is enough to map the path forward. As the Internet took hold in the business sector, the conversations were all about e-commerce and the ability to sell to the consumer. The term sold the capabilities of the Internet short and we soon moved on to e-business, which was the extension of the technology into business and further into the supply chain. The "adult industry" aside, most of the work and success on the Internet has been accomplished here. More recently we've seen the emergence of collaborative commerce and the networked enterprise as terms to describe the business and technology trends. Both begin to look at the Internet as a means to make businesses more efficient in their day-to-day processes. Collaborative commerce focuses on two or more organizations working together to achieve those efficiencies, while networked enterprise focuses on making the process more efficient, regardless of where the functions are performed, in essence, this creates a single enterprise view across the partners.

Why Now?
The drivers just described were business drivers, and while they are critical to success we wouldn't be talking about Web services if there weren't some changes in the technologies. For large organizations, the ability to adopt new technology or functionality was often determined by whether the existing platforms would support it. Decisions were based on the hardware investment rather than the functionality offered by a given solution. You wrote or bought for what you owned, and the platform drove the direction.

Think about the challenge that presents itself when the goal is to create a single platform for anyone to use. Until the technology had matured into a better base of standards, a common ground would be impossible to achieve. Well, technology has changed.

The availability (and most importantly, the growing acceptance) of common, platform- independent, tools and technologies was required to support true Networked Enterprises and Web services. With Java and XML (the two primary standards for purposes of Web services growth, Microsoft not withstanding) emerging as truly platform-independent technologies, we were primed to extend applications to areas never before reached. Think of it: now we could write applications purely for the functionality they'd deliver. No longer tied to a platform and the quirks required to code for it, a solution could be written to meet specific industry needs. In theory, hardware could be swapped out under the application with no change to the code itself.

Performance, scalability, and reliability could be dealt with at the hardware level and increased as the business demanded it, without negative or intrusive application impact. Achieving platform independence for the applications opened up a host of other opportunities for the developer and for the businesses themselves.

Object-oriented development, well established (if not widely standardized) by now, had created concepts of modular design and development. Java and XML, with other technologies (the escalating availability of bandwidth, the adoption of the Internet as an accepted part of business, and the slow emergence of real standards included), had provided the ability to create platform-independent applications. And users had become accustomed to the concept that it was functionality that counted, and a single interface (the browser in most cases) was the only tool needed to implement it. Then three separate tech breakthroughs - modular design, platform independence, and single common interface - each beneficial on its own, combined to create a world of possibilities (see Table 2).

Where Does That Leave Us?
Web services have become a viable paradigm due to the emergence of technology and the increasing willingness of business to consider new alternatives for development. With applications no longer tied to the platform, they can truly be developed once and modified only when new functionality or business needs dictate. Updates to operating systems, changes in platform, or new business acquisitions no longer need to force a change in applications. Technology (XML, J2EE, SOAP, UDDI, WSUI, BPML, and other emerging standards) has focused on platform independence and emerged with the ability to deliver that freedom. Combine that with the "need for speed" demonstrated by the Internet, and a business climate that's focused on efficiency and reduced cost, and the interest in Web services becomes clear.

Web services will offer a greater amount of choice (true best-of-breed potential at a reduced cost) to business, and with limited risk. Try it, and if it doesn't do as you expect, disconnect from that service - whether internally or externally provided. Decisions will be based increasingly on business needs and less on existing environment, as companies compete to become efficient within their enterprise and in collaboration with their partners. Web services puts a name to a long-held vision, and the technology finally exists to deliver that vision.