Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) is about to replace Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) as the new buzzword du jour in voice communications. SIP, conceived in the 1990s, has gradually achieved acceptance as the industry standard communications protocol for IP-telephony systems and peripheral applications. Now that SIP is a ubiquitous presence, it is time to focus on SOA, an I.T. strategic initiative to organize diverse and independent software operations embedded across multiple applications into interoperable, standards-based services to better satisfy customer needs. It is implemented using standard protocols and conventional interfaces, including a variety of Web services such as Extended Markup Language (XML) and Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP).

SOA is intended to transform silo-ed, replicated processes into leveraged and shared services, and provide a rapid method of delivering new services to satisfy changing customer needs with less complexity and more efficient expenditure of resources (time, personnel, finances). If this sounds similar to the oft-stated objective of Unified Communications (yet another popular industry buzzword), it is because SOA will be an important I.T. undertaking to unify communications tools with business processes.