Summary

In this chapter, we discussed why when building IT solutions a process-driven integration combined with an SOA approach is critical for achieving dynamism. We also discussed the core capabilities needed for a process integration approach, IBM's SOA reference architecture, and IBM's Business Process Management platform including WebSphere Process Server (WPS) and WebSphere Enterprise Service Bus. We saw how WPS fits in an SOA approach, how it helps deliver an SOA infrastructure to orchestrate, mediate, connect, map, and execute the underlying IT functions and systems. We also discussed the ESB as a pattern and essential considerations to make when choosing an ESB. Then we discussed how WESB complements an SOA approach, how it enables connectivity and messaging capabilities, and hence provides a smart approach to SOA. We then discussed the IBM SOA lifecycle, various activities performed in the appropriate phases, and products from IBM that help accomplish activities within phases. Finally, we discussed IBM's BPM enabled by SOA lifecycle methodology, which can be used as a practical method when building SOA-based solutions.