Web services exposed to the Internet need security features that aren't found in data-center-focused ESBs, so SOA management products can usually process XML signature and XML encryption elements. They can also identify "rogue services"--that is, Web services that expose too much to the Internet, whether as a result of malware, unpatched vulnerabilities or overenthusiastic users.
Unlike the ESB or registry, both of which are supplied only as software, SOA management is available as both hardware and software. They differ in how they work.
Software products from Actional, AmberPoint and SOA Software all work in much the same way as network-management frameworks, using agents that are embedded in the application platform and that run alongside services. This gives the management system good visibility into applications, but requires that a separate agent be written for each platform or ESB. When a platform isn't directly supported, an agent can run on a proxy server through which all traffic is routed. Proxies are easier to scale, but can impose a hefty performance penalty, especially when using SSL, which requires that traffic be decrypted for analysis and then re-encrypted.
Appliances from IBM's DataPower and Cisco's Reactivity go for a pure proxy approach, using custom XML and SSL hardware to reduce the performance hit. However, proxies don't offer as great an insight into applications as embedded agents: Because they run separately from the platform, they won't discover new services automatically, for example.
As an alternative to agents, management vendors can access APIs published by an ESB or application platform. Unfortunately, there's no Web services equivalent to SNMP; every system is proprietary, requiring close cooperation among vendors. For example, BEA resells AmberPoint's SOA management product, which can control BEA's AquaLogic without agents. Actional is similarly integrated with Progress Sonic ESB, having been acquired by Progress in 2006.
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