Is service-oriented architecture (SOA) a business strategy, a collection of Web services or the mythical boogie man who can only be seen in the dark while hiding underneath the beds of small children and IT staff?

The short answer is that SOA is a real business strategy. The value of an SOA can be backed up by those early adopters who cite strong benefits from the approach as well as industry and financial analysts who point to the potential dividends that can be realized through an SOA. However, there are still some holdouts that have classified SOA as urban legend.

As you may recall, urban legends are those false stories that blend humor and horror and oftentimes infuse a local flavor to boost credibility as they are passed along by the truly gullible. Still, while urban legends are riddled with falsehoods, they share a common thread in their goal of serving as a cautionary tale.