Service Oriented Architecture, commonly referred to as SOA, has a lot to live up to.

IT industry vendors, analysts and other commentators have variously positioned it as everything from a silverbullet to solve the World’s systems integration problems to a way of achieving the ultimate level of alignment between IT and the business.

In this report, we consider the results of a research study completed in June 2006, within which feedback was gathered from IT and business professionals working in mainstream businesses. The results reveal an interesting mix of findings, corroborating some of the things we commonly hear from vendors and analysts, but challenging others.

More importantly, the feedback we received during the study provides valuable lessons for those looking to explore or exploit the potential of SOA, and as with all Freeform Dynamics reports, we have tried to keep our treatment of the subject down-to-earth and practical, rather than theoretical or evangelical.