CRM - May 2008 - (Page 37)

What SOA Software Are People Using? Microsoft .NET IBM Websphere 59% 44% BEA Systems Weblogic/Aqualogic* 35% Oracle Fusion Middleware* SAP Netweaver HP (Systinet) Progress Software Software AG (WebMethods) Tibco Cape Clear AmberPoint * BEA Systems has agreed to be acquired by Oracle, though the deal had not closed by press time. SOURCE: AMR RESEARCH 31% 29% 29% 24% 21% 19% 17% 15% future SOA deployments. Dortch finds that best-in-class SOA users are more than twice as likely to deploy SOA performance analysis and reporting software, and oneand-a-half times more likely to establish quality-of-service metrics and capabilities for SOA applications and services. This means putting metrics in place that are business-centric in order to see performance enhancements and an uptick in the number of services people use. Dortch explains that while many companies overlook this obvious step, investing in rigorous performance testing should be a no-brainer. “You do what every IT system worth its salt has been doing since the beginning of the Ice Age: replicate and scale.” Dare to Reach New Heights of Excellence! yourself really makes sense,” says Ian Michiels, senior research analyst at Aberdeen Group. In “The Forrester Wave: Standalone SOA and Web Services Management Solutions, Q4 2007,” Progress Software, AmberPoint, and IBM were cited as top-performing solutions, but it’s important to examine a number of vendors to select the most appropriate choice for your company. (See the chart above for a list of the most popular products.) STEP 6: MEASURE BY INCHES Baby steps are the name of the game for a successful SOA deployment. As discussed in Step 3, it is important to identify a small project to bite off first. Points where your business faces integration challenges will show the benefits of an SOA deployment most clearly. The nature of this intersection will differ from company to company. Careful measurement of small projects is vital to broader SOA success. Benchmarking before and after the project is necessary both to funding and success of www.destinationCRM.com STEP 7: KEEP ON TRACK For any business project, it is important to stay focused in order to gain the highest value from investments. For an SOA deployment, focus is absolutely crucial. A complete SOA integration on an enterprisewide level can take years, and benefits may take even longer to realize in full. You need to keep your designated team on task and motivated. Dortch suggests creating an incentive structure for this team based on the success of the deployment. Executives as a whole will remain behind this project if you show that SOA is delivering the business benefits they care about. “Tell them what you’ve done and let them connect the dots. It’s a step that cannot be skipped,” he says. Vendors continue to configure their offerings to follow emerging standards as well as to develop new and different ways of enabling the creation of SOAs. In this rapidly changing space, businesses should keep an ear to the street to stay competitive and to keep abreast of new advancements. “The future of SOA is very bright,” Stockford says. “Both vendors and adopters have the opportunity to leverage SOA in ways that will allow the innovative use of integrated technologies to create competitive advantages.” Contact the editors at editor@destinationCRM.com. By Lior Arussy 240 pp/hardbound/$24.95 ISBN 978-0-910965-79-8 Available May 2008 Lior Arussy skillfully illustrates how critical excellence is in corporate strategy and the significant role every employee plays in its delivery. Excellence Every Day is an important read for both executives and employees. — Jill Griffin, Customer Loyalty Ask for Excellence Every Day in Your Local Bookstore or Order Direct from the Publisher www.infotoday.com http://www.infotoday.com http://www.destinationCRM.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CRM - May 2008

CRM - May 2008 Contents Front Office Feedback Reality Check Customer Centricity The Tipping Point Is CRM Too Hard for Microsoft Vendors Go Virtual For Feedback Sense-sational Marketing How UGC Can Benefit CRM DestinationCRM Dashboard Price Check, Aisle 5 Required Reading The Moving Target The Excellence Myth Seven Steps to SOA Success And They're Off! Are You Ready to Party? Skin in the Game The Right Numbers Secret of My Success Re: Tooling Connect Pint of View

CRM - May 2008

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