Regardless of the technology used, applications and data must communicate, and that communication is growing to include a wide variety of technologies, such as SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol), JMS (Java Message Service), FTP and custom APIs.
Communication at the application layer has always been accomplished through some sort of integration technology, and that won't change in 2006. SOA is your focus, and it's all about easing integration. Building out your SOA will require a huge change to your application infrastructure. SOA isn't a point product or even a suite of products--it requires multiple components comprising multiple products up and down the infrastructure stack and includes messaging (ESB) technology, application servers (ESP), management (SOA Management and Registries) products, development tools and more.
Middleware-in-a-box will become a viable building block in your SOA initiative. Products from IBM through its acquisition of DataPower and appliance products from Cisco's AON line, for example, will blur the boundaries between conventional middleware implementations and shiny new SOA blueprints. Cisco will offer more integrated middleware solutions in 2006, including specific AON technology for FIX (Financial Information Exchange) in addition to its new RFID (radio frequency ID) AON solution. Now that both IBM and Cisco are on board with middleware-in-a-box, it will be difficult to ignore the advantages of these offerings, such as the performance, consolidation and simplification of the architecture.
Your SOA will change next year, too. You may find hundreds, if not thousands, of existing services within your demesne that could be reused but are not. So your "accidental" SOA will evolve into purpose-built SOAs with the blessing (and possible assistance) of the business.
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