As more companies apply a service-oriented architecture approach to their IT systems, one user that became serious about its SOA deployment last year suggests its peers keep open minds about the new concept's possibilities.

Health-care insurance company Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) has most of its core applications, such as enrollment and billing, still residing on its IBM mainframe and isn't planning to move them off any time soon. The company, with headquarters in Boston, provides coverage to 2.9 million members across Massachusetts. What the insurer is keen to do is quickly and cost effectively create more Web-based services so that its members can easily access information contained in those back-office applications.