SOA vendors are racking their brains these days, trying to figure out how to sell in this emerging marketplace. For most of them, things don't seem to be going very well. At the heart of the issue is the fact that SOA is an architecture (hence the "A"), and not a class of technology. Rather than providing tools to help build a SOA, they are selling products that could be a SOA unto itself. . At the same time, the customer is pulling their hair out in total confusion.

SOA vendors are not bad people; they just need some education in the ways to most effectively sell their products. While I'm sure that most think they are doing a fine job, the sales statistics for many of these vendors is less than stellar. Moreover, they are leaving a trail of confused customers and fragmented marketplaces in their wake. These customers are my clients, so I guess I'm complaining on their behalf, but I'm also offering some education.