In fact, enterprises of all sizes are increasingly using SOA concepts and technologies to create a new generation of mission-critical business applications, ranging from "simple" portals to incredibly complex and feature-rich integration applications. They're taking this approach in an effort to improve IT's ability to deliver business applications to the right employees, partners, and customers on-demand.

The reason? SOA applications have the potential to turn around many of the problems plaguing IT organizations today, including lack of interoperability, schedule delays, budget overruns, and an inability to respond quickly to "the business." SOA also provides easy tactical paths to create economies of scale for mergers, acquisitions, spinouts, spin-ins, and other unique organizational relationships.