UK lacks SOA adoption

12:52 23rd October 2008

UK business is lagging behind the rest of the world in its understanding and adaptation of service orientated architecture (SOA), according to SAP.

The software provider polled 147 members worldwide, including 31 in the UK, and discovered that 55 per cent of UK companies do not understand SOA and have no plans to implement it.

An SOA system allows different IT applications to exchange data with one another as they participate in business processes, which improves communication and costs-effectiveness.

Alan Bowling, chairman of the SAP UK user group, said that the lack of knowledge about SOA is hindering our businesses' development.

He said: "It is clear that many organisations need to be educated about how to implement SOA and its potential benefits … otherwise the UK risks being eclipsed by businesses in the US, India, China and the rest of Europe."

Last week, a survey by the Chartered Management Institute revealed that IT managers are calling for calm and a long-term strategy in the face of continued economic gloom.