Web services are a rapidly expanding field of software that offers an alternative to traditional methods of integration. The benefits of web services are many such as lower costs, increased productivity and better customer support. The industry of web services has its own challenges. Businesses must be aware of these prior to investing in new technologies.
Web services are an Internet communication method that allows two software systems to exchange data. The software system that requests data is referred to as the service requester. The software system that processes the data and sends it back is known as the service provider. The most common way that these different software systems communicate is by using a standard protocol, such as XML, SOAP and WSDL, which are all based on a standard language like HTML.
Pro: Web services permit applications to interact with each with no regard to their programming languages. This is a huge benefit for companies that have decided to move their business operations online because it lets them connect with customers and partners seamlessly.
Con: Implementation of web-based services isn’t easy and requires lots of planning and investment from the business. It can also create a complex network of interactions between various applications that have to be integrated. There are privacy and security concerns that need to be addressed as well.
Web services can lower integration costs and the dependence on contractors, but they require changes to the way in which in-house IT development is carried out. These changes could be difficult for companies that have developed monolithic applications using only one programming language, such as C and COBOL.
