Since the focus of this column is service-oriented architecture (SOA), I thought now might be a good time to step back and take a wide-angle look at the general concept and what it means to developers. As most readers are painfully aware, much has already been written on the subject of service orientation. In fact, the current frenzy around the topic makes many developers wonder if service orientation will be the next buzz-word casualty.

I don't think it will. The principles of service orientation are here to stay. I believe they'll help enterprises build more successful distributed systems that can adapt over time. So this month, I'll give you my take on service orientation and what it means to the enterprise as well as to the developer.

Service orientation is simple: it more effectively addresses the realities of today's enterprises than any other design paradigm. In order to understand why service orientation is such a good fit, let's first consider the most important needs of an enterprise.