In-Depth

SOA Solution Offers Free Management Options

A slew of new SOA management functions are available through a new version of CentraSite, including a plug-in that lets developers ease into integration within Eclipse-based dev environments.

• By Jason Turcotte
• 07/19/2006

A slew of new SOA management functions are available through a new version of CentraSite, including a plug-in that lets developers ease into integration within Eclipse-based dev environments.

Fujitsu Computer Systems of Sunnyvale, Calif. teamed with Germany-based Software AG to release a second version of CentraSite software, which provides developers with mature SOA management solutions and expanded governance for both its enterprise and free community editions. CentraSite includes a UDDI v3.0 search using defined metadata models and reporting modules, a JAXR interface, WebDAV access to the SOA repository and AJAX interface, and the Eclipse Registry Browser.

“What’s interesting is that SOA blends the job of the developer with the job of the administrator,” said Keith Swenson, research and development VP for Fujitsu . “We’d like to be able to specify a single policy for all Web services within a company and have tools to do so; you can’t reuse your services if you can’t find them.”

Swenson says CentraSite strives to ease policy upgrades for developers while providing real-time results. The software includes a free SOA registry repository because developers are finding that many orgs have yet to confront their SOA problems and, in the past, those that are haven’t shown a willingness to invest in solutions.

“For developers it’s become very interesting when they build SOA systems,” said Ivo Totev, VP for crossvision product marketing, Software AG.

According to Totev, developers are demanding transparency when it comes to the interdependencies of SOA apps. Therefore, CentraSite boasts a broad approach to SOA management. He says integration is simplified with the Web-based AJAX interface and, through the Eclipse tools, developers can view the response time of apps, which apps have been used and the app data reports.

As demand for SOA continues to spike, so is the importance of SOA management. The dev process of complex upgrading becomes problematic when multiple departments within an org must access the upgraded apps. CentraSite allows users to subscribe to change notifications via call-outs or e-mail.

“Successfully managing and governing SOA assets is a critical step in the maturation of an SOA portfolio,” says Daryl Plummer, managing vice president and Gartner fellow. “Organizations that are going through the SOA maturity cycle will use governance as a critical success factor.”

CentraSite works to maximize management and governance of SOA through its central repository of SOA metadata, data analysis and centralized policies. These steps provide the greatest level of visibility and allow orgs to minimize vulnerabilities and disruptions during the SOA transitioning process.

In other news, Fujitsu and Software AG launched the CentraSite Community, a standards-based SOA forum currently consisting of 17 partners. As a network the partners work collaboratively on SOA management processes, uniting partners with standards-based SOA solutions, providing a destination for best practices and breaking SOA news through forums, blogs, wikis and RSS feeds.

Since launching the first version of the software in October 2005, more than 500 clients have implemented CentraSite; its heaviest use concentrated in the airline industry, financial, insurance and government sectors. The enterprise edition is available now as a standalone product and the CentraSite Community Edition, which offers an AJAX-based interface and the Eclipse Registry Browser, is also available free of charge.