Update: The Next Big Thing: Web services/SOA

That's what analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group Inc. say in a recent report. Web services and service-oriented architectures will be "the next big thing to drive an upgrade to a new platform of infrastructure and applications, providing a growth catalyst for the software industry," the Goldman Sachs analysts say.

UPDATE: IDC chief analyst Frank Gens seems to agree:

For large enterprises, SOA is becoming THE construct for thinking about, and building out, the blueprint for next-generation (dynamic) IT [over the next decade]. Large enterprise CIOs who are not focusing on SOA are in a shrinking minority.  (That’s not always a bad thing, but in this case we believe it is a mistake.)

 

A word of caution, though: ...the majority still will only adopt SOA broadly when the modular structure and standards that embody SOA are "baked in" to a wide variety of off-the-shelf products and services. 

Now back to the Goldman Sachs report... In a survey of 100 IT managers at Fortune 1000 companies, 44% of the respondents have already deployed infrastructure to support SOA and another 10% are planning to do so over the next 12 months, the report says. In other words, it's gaining momentum. More survey results:

The major drivers for SOA/Web services?

1. Increased flexibility for building applications quickly and chnaging them more dynamically
2. Easier integration between disparate internal systems
3. Cost reduction
4. Easier integration with external systems (partners, suppliers, customers)

The major inhibitors?

1. Products are still emerging or don't exist
2. Budget
3. Integration issues
4. Security issues
5. Management issues

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For more on this topic, see:

Adapting to SOA

Web services mature, see more B2B transaction use

Computerworld's special report on Web Services Hurdles

Computerworld's page of continuing coverage about Web Services