Flashline Announces Best Practices for Service-Oriented Architecture

Flashline services streamline strategic SOA implementations

CLEVELAND, January 9, 2006 – Flashline®, a leading provider of software asset portfolio management solutions, today announced the availability of professional services and best practices to help companies govern service-oriented architecture (SOA) and manage Web services as a portfolio of strategic assets to improve business agility.

Flashline’s SOA service offerings are based on best practices gained through extensive experience with Fortune 500 companies and Federal agencies in SOA engagements, and are combined with professional services that Flashline has long delivered to its customers for software asset management, reuse, architecture, and governance.

According to Gartner, Inc., “Through 2008, 70 percent of IT organizations will fail to successfully select and implement an SOA strategy on the first try (0.7 probability)” (see note 1). Flashline’s best practices are based on real-world experiences and help organizations avoid common mistakes in SOA implementation.

“A migration to SOA introduces new challenges to both business and IT. Flashline’s services remove the guesswork involved in this transition and help our customers address some of the most pressing issues in the SOA transformation, including architecture, reuse, lifecycle management, and governance,” stated Charles Stack, CEO of Flashline. “Our services complement the Flashline for SOA registry/repository, providing a powerful combination based on asset portfolio management principles that help organizations manage SOA and Web services for ongoing business value.”

A framework of proven managerial and organizational practices for executives and architects forms the foundation of the consulting services, which include program management, service portfolio management, service release management, and project portfolio productivity. Through iterative cycles and practices, organizations can quickly incorporate a systematic and governed approach to SOA planning, development, deployment and management through software asset portfolio management. This approach helps organizations achieve the large cost-savings and efficiency improvements of a strategic, enterprise-wide SOA.

“By expanding SOA program adoption and leveraging governance and architectural practices, our customers are delivering on the promises of SOA,” said Jay Holmstrom, vice president of consulting solutions at Flashline. “We have packaged our extensive experience into best practices, enabling companies to speed SOA adoption, avoid common pitfalls, and realize a faster return on investment.”

Flashline’s SOA services ensure that customers are investing in the right Web services and that Web services are aligned with business priorities. With sound SOA management, reuse, and governance practices in place, enterprises can track the full lifecycle of Web services and other assets, manage policies, monitor progress toward the target architecture, and develop solutions within the requirements of the architecture. As the SOA program advances, Flashline supports customers through periodic program assessments to help them stay aligned with the goals of the SOA deployment and deliver measurable, ongoing business value through SOA.

Flashline’s best practices and professional services for SOA are available to customers of Flashline for SOA, a leading registry/repository for the governance, lifecycle management and measurement of Web services and related assets. For more information visit http://www.flashline.com.

Flashline, Flashline Registry, FlashPacks, FlashTrax, and Return on Software are registered or pending trademarks of Flashline, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

Note 1: “Six Missteps That Can Result in SOA Strategy Failure,” Gartner, Inc., Daryl Plummer, June 8, 2005

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