In 2005, enterprise IT professionals familiar with SOA and web services tools and techniques will face a remarkable career opportunity.

The challenge for technical architects and developers to map their knowledge of SOA/web services to their company's ever-growing need to more efficiently use software to meet changing business needs.

Many IT pros have heard this before, about the tie-in between technology and business objectives. But, 2005 is a different, more exciting kind of tie-in.

This is not just about cost-cutting IT budgets. It's also about creating a more flexible architecture for business.

This new approach will let business execs leverage existing software to provide new internal and customer-facing applications. And, to provide them quicker than ever before.