SOA (Service Oriented Architecture)

A Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) is the next-generation infrastructure designed for integrating and re-using your existing assets. Within a service-oriented architecture, applications, information and other IT assets are viewed as services or "building blocks." Each of these Web services are now reusable and can be mixed and matched to create new, flexible business processes. The end goal, as your business processes become automated and more modular, is to make your company more agile and responsive to any changing business priorities such as new markets to pursue, competition to beat out, corporate initiatives to drive down costs, and the need to reduce risk and maintain corporate compliance.