Service-oriented architecture (SOA) implementations aren't catching on as quickly as many SOA vendors might have hoped, according to two recent studies. The holdup isn't due to technical issues, however.

The main thing missing -- from an integrator's perspective -- is the ability to sell customers on the business process benefits of SOA, not just its technical capabilities, vendors and solution providers said.

One study last month by the Info-Tech Research Group found that businesses' SOA implementations haven't lived up to the hype and marketing buzz, and there is still confusion among customers as to what exactly SOA means. Earlier this month a survey by IBM -- a major advocate for and developer of SOA products -- showed that customers often have trouble expanding from pilot programs to full SOA implementations.