Are the mobile networks backing the wrong horse? - Times Online 

With 40 million 3G subscribers, Japan’s NTT DoCoMo network is in a rare position to offer the rest of us a clearer vision of the hits and misses of mobile internet services. It doesn’t make for a pretty ... picture. At a briefing last week with Shuichiro Ichikoshi, one of the principal architects behind DoCoMo’s wildly successful 1999 launch of i-mode, one message became abundantly clear: content is not king. According to Mr Ichikoshi, DoCoMo’s traffic revenue outpaced content revenue yet again in the last fiscal year, this time by a margin of $11 billion to $2 billion (£5.5 billion to £1 billion). This means that eight years after the launch of i-mode, the mobile internet service available with O2 in the UK, the basic functions of talking and texting are still far more compelling to consumers than content-based services such as mobile TV, music downloads and traffic alerts. As Mr Ichikoshi says, most of this can be explained by the Pareto Principle, commonly referred to as the ‘20/80 rule   [More...] [Less...]

Guide to Secure Web Services [pdf]

Understanding Service-Oriented Architecture 

If the principles summarized in Table 1 are complied with, we get some interesting benefits: There is real synchronization between the business and IT implementation perspective . For many years, business ... people haven't really understood the IT architecture. With well designed services we can radically improve communications with the business, and indeed move beyond alignment and seriously consider convergence of business and IT processes. A well formed service provides us with a unit of management that relates to business usage. Enforced separation of the service provision provides us with basis for understanding the life cycle costs of a service and how it is used in the business. When the service is abstracted from the implementation it is possible to consider various alternative options for delivery and collaboration models. No one expects that, at any stage in the foreseeable future, core enterprise applications will be acquired purely by assembling services from multiple sources.   [More...] [Less...]

Infrastructure considerations for SOA from IBM White Papers at silicon.com 

Infrastructure considerations for service-oriented architecture Service-oriented architecture is gaining attention for its ability to increase the flexibility and efficiency of business processes. But ... while many corporations turn their attention towards SOA for increased agility, it is important to consider the impact on the IT infrastructure. This whitepaper provides considerations for integrating SOA into an existing environment. Infrastructure considerations for service-oriented architecture Service-oriented architecture is gaining attention for its ability to increase the flexibility and efficiency of business processes. But while many corporations turn their attention towards SOA... Listen as IBM environmental experts discuss new and innovative IT solutions intended to help your business save energy, reduce its carbon footprint, and lower its cooling costs. View this... The future of business: it's a dynamic, global, frictionless and innovative place. It's also extremely competiti   [More...] [Less...]

Web Services and Service-Oriented Architectures 

This site will help you get started with Web Services and service-oriented architectures. It features free articles, services, and product listings that can be used to develop a service-oriented architecture ... using Web Services. Online articles that provide an extensive overview of Web Services, related standards, and technologies that can be used in service-oriented architectures. There are nearly 400 pages of articles. Example enterprise Web Services architecture The following diagram is an example of a service-oriented architecture using Web Services. Click on the yellow boxes below to obtain more information on a subject. Getting started It is difficult to keep up with the rapid changes in technology. The advent of Web Services and service-oriented architectures makes "keeping up" all the more important, because these technologies are fundamentally changing the way we build our internal systems—those that support our organizations—and how internal and external systems will interact.   [More...] [Less...]