IDC"s recent end-user survey on SOA indicates positive development across Asia/Pacific where IT and business users have been aligning their business processes to fulfill project objectives at the early stages of the project.

IDC advises early adopters to have a firm control in project portfolio and IT asset assessment. IDC advocates these assessment processes to be formalised early in the SOA project cycle for success.

Majority of the early SOA adopters have cited the re-engineering of existing business processes as their top SOA implementation challenge. IDC advises end-user organisations considering SOA adoption to develop a closer collaborative approach with partners and trusted vendors to be equipped with the essential skill sets, roadmaps and implementation methodologies.

IDC has also observed that end users are continuing with “in-house” approach to build SOA knowledge and awareness within their organisations. While many “in-house” efforts are currently focused on assessing architectural fit and planning for future SOA projects, IDC advises end users to look beyond traditional technology and into technologies that could aid in the management and integration of heterogeneous service and newer web 2.0 technologies.

IDC claims that these efforts, if successful, could contribute towards more visible and tangible outcomes for SOA, thus paving the way for future SOA-related projects.