"Boxed" SOA

Joe McKendrick reacted on my article about SOA out-of-the-box.

But vendor offerings are limited to tools and templates.

Of course he is right, I am talking about tools and templates. But let me explain myself in more detail. What I mean is that SOA - in a technical sense - is currently offered by suppliers of business solutions including the standards based infrastructure as I mentioned. When I buy a modern ERP-solution I get a populated SOA infrastructure with it, based on open standards. This open standards based infrastructure can also be used for the governance of external services and processes. It is not unwise to use these integrated out-of-the-box SOA products as a starting point and as enforcers.

And about this one of Joe:

Good SOA is ultimately the product of enlightened and savvy management, smart and well-trained people, and competitive drive. And that part will never come in a box.

He is right again, but does enlightened and savvy management, smart and well-trained people, and competitive drive exclusively lead to SOA? I don't think so. That would be too easy. I think it is a prerequisite for SOA but we still must enforce SOA if we are believers... A business wise populated infrastructure with tools and templates, integrated out-of-the-box, and based on open standards will help. An unpopulated infrastructure will also help... but slower. Much, much slower!