Latest News from Ron Schmelzer

Private Clouds: A Valuable Concept or Buzzword Bingo?

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EDT

To attempt to gain some clarity around this issue, ZapThink reached out to a number of pundits and opinion-leaders in the space to get their thoughts and definitions on Private Cloud, and to no surprise, the definitions all varied significantly. Let's explore these definitions and see what additional value (if any) they contribute to the Cloud Computing discussion.

Service-Oriented Process: Thinking About Processes Before Services

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:04:00 EDT

Instead of thinking of Web Services as a collection of interfaces to software functionality that must somehow be made to connect to other such interfaces, enterprises should approach Web Services as enabling a fundamentally process-driven architecture that leverages distributed processes in addition to distributed services. We all understand distributed services-it's distributed computing based on the notion that service interfaces should be standardized and service descriptors and registries should be used to allow for runtime binding. However, distributed processes are all about the creation of business processes that in turn depend on other business processes that may be defined anywhere in the organization. Those business processes then at some point depend on atomic services to fulfill the activities required by their process flow.

Omaha: a new region for SOA & EA training and certification

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:48:29 EDT

ZapThink today announces the opening of registration for its four-day Licensed ZapThink Architect (LZA) Boot Camp, providing in-depth, hands-on training and certification on Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) and taught by notable SOA expert Jason Bloomberg. The LZA SOA Boot Camp will run from October 5-8, 2009 in Omaha, NE.

Open is a Four-Letter Word

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:00:00 EDT

The past decade certainly been boom years for the IT industry. Not necessarily from an economic perspective, but rather in the growth of the number and variety of standards that have been proposed. One of the key properties of Web Services and the Service-oriented architectures built upon them is the fact that they are based upon open standards. After all, standards are an essential element of the maturation of any technology. In the case of distributed computing, open standards promise to increase interoperability, reduce total cost of ownership (TCO), widen the base of skilled developers, and increase vendor choice. With so much riding on the power of open standards, you would think that there would be broad agreement as to just what "open" and "standard" mean. Unfortunately, there is still plenty of confusion about the meanings of these two terms.

The Dissolution of the Rich Internet Application (RIA) Market

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:15:00 EDT

As the line between browser-based and desktop-based applications blurs, and as approaches for abstracting functionality and information from user interfaces develop, other markets will eventually merge with the currently separately identifiable RIA market. Furthermore, as the Internet continues to penetrate every aspect of our lives, both business and personal, the distinction between "Internet application" and "application" will disappear, rich or not.

SOA Pundits Unite to Chat about SOA Futures

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 10:53:55 EDT

At ZapForum DC on October 1, 2009 from 5:30-8:30 PM in Washington, DC, dozens of experts, pundits, and influential guests will gather for an evening of networking and discussion on the topics of Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) and Enterprise Architecture (EA). Open to public enrollment and attendance, the ZapForum events provide a way to encourage dialogue, networking, and communication within the SOA and EA communities.

Content as Services

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:47:00 EDT

Content is information that is intended for human consumption, as opposed to "data," which are information intended for machine or system use. At times, we use other words such as knowledge, semantics, and intellectual assets to describe content. What differentiates human-oriented content from machine-oriented data is that people must create, manage, publish, and distribute content so that it can be represented in a variety of different ways, all the while maintaining the same overall meaning.

SOA Certification & Training in Germany

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:57:46 EDT

ZapThink Announces SOA Training

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 09:57:00 EDT

Understanding the Real Costs of Integration

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:45:00 EDT

Are implementations of Web Services simply "old wine in new bottles," with interfaces every bit as brittle and tightly-coupled as in the past, or are they really implementing Service-Oriented Integration among Services at many levels of granularity? Clearly, "Web Services Integration" does not equal "Service-Oriented Integration." We are not doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past, as long as we understand the appropriate use of Service-Oriented Integration.

ZapThink Announces SOA Training in Chicago

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:15:00 EDT

US Government & Federal Agencies Keen on Enterprise Architecture & SOA

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 09:15:00 EDT

Over the past two years, governments around the world have caught the enterprise architecture and SOA fever. This is especially the case in the US Federal Government, where a number of regulations, EA frameworks, and major spending initiatives are all pointing towards continued and lasting expenditure and investment in the area of EA. One can also notice this trend based on the number of EA and SOA events now focused on the US Federal Government, or at least taking place in the Washington, DC area. For example, ZapThink’s Practical SOA event in DC on October 2, 2009 is focused on cost-effective legacy enablement and data management, while its 4-day licensed ZapThink Architect (LZA) boot camp running from September 21-24, 2009 provides SOA certification and credentialing to government and other DC-area firms. ZapThink’s SOA & Cloud governance certification and training class in DC sold out earlier this month (August) and was so popular the company is running it again, in DC, September 30-October 1.

ZapThink Announces Release of Online, Computer-Based SOA Training

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:30:00 EDT

ZapThink today announces the availability of its online, computer-based Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) Licensed ZapThink Architect (LZA) training and credentialing course. In this first-of-its-kind offering, attendees can get access to over 20 hours of self-paced video instruction and slides, online testing and evaluation, and opportunity to submit architectural exercises to ZapThink master architects for grading and assessment. Upon completion of the online course, attendees will receive the same LZA Credential that they would receive if they attended one of ZapThink’s popular in-person training events.

Why Current Network Protocol-Based Firewalls and Routers Can't Handle XML

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:15:00 EDT

Look in the network closet in any good-sized company today and you’ll find a wide assortment of network gear: firewalls, switches, gateways, routers, hubs, bridges, the list goes on and on. Each of these devices essentially either directs or secures the packets that form the automobiles on the streets and freeways of today’s networks. All data networks -- including the mother of all data networks, the Internet -- are built from these packet-directing and packet-securing devices. All this equipment works pretty well, as long as they don’t care what is actually inside the packets. And there’s the rub. The amount of traffic going over the network that is XML formatted -- in particular, Web Services messages -- is set to explode, and all that equipment in the closet is completely unprepared to direct or secure that XML traffic.

Understanding the Value of Reference Architectures

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 12:30:00 EDT

There’s nothing more that architects love to do than argue about definitions. If you ever find yourself with idle time in a room of architects, try asking for a definition of “Service” or “architecture” and see what sort of creative melee you can start. That being said, definitions are indeed very important so that we can have a common language to communicate the intent and benefit of the very things we are trying to convince business to invest in. From that perspective, a number of concepts have emerged in the past decade or so that have become top of mind for self-styled enterprise architects: architecture frameworks and reference architectures. In previous ZapFlashes, we discussed architecture frameworks, which leaves the topic of reference architectures left untouched by ZapThink. Since we can’t leave a good argument behind, we’re going to use this ZapFlash to explore what reference architectures are all about and what value they have to add to the Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) story.

SOA Is For Small Business Too

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:30:00 EDT

ZapThink frequently talks about how Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) provides significant benefits to enterprises by virtue of the ability to dramatically reduce the cost and complexity of integration and enable business agility. It is apparent that companies in many industries are realizing the promise of SOA by implementing a variety of SOA initiatives. However, much of the short-term promise of SOA applies to companies where the integration cost and complexity is high because their IT infrastructure is heterogeneous – that is, consisting of a wide range of disparate technologies that are difficult to interoperate. Certainly, a heterogeneous IT environment is the norm in companies of any significant size, but the smaller a company gets, the more homogeneous its IT infrastructure becomes. And so, what does SOA offer the small or medium-sized company that has, until now, simplified its IT universe by standardizing on a single platform or environment?

ZapThink Expands Its Footprint Into South Africa

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:45:00 EDT

ZapThink today announces the availability of a series of SOA training and certification courses in Johannesburg, South Africa, run in conjunction with realIRM. ZapThink will run its four-day Licensed ZapThink Architect (LZA) Boot Camp, providing in-depth, hands-on training and certification on Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) and taught by notable SOA expert Jason Bloomberg as well as a one-day LZA renewal course and ZapThink's popular SOA Governance Training & Certification courses.

Breaking XML to Optimize Performance

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 06:30:00 EDT

As XML becomes ubiquitous throughout the enterprise, it increasingly taxes the systems that must deal with it. Even though there are a wide range of hardware and software solutions coming to market that aim to alleviate XML's performance bottlenecks (See ZapThink's XML Proxies Report), many developers are nevertheless resorting to a variety of tactics to improve the performance of XML processing and transmission that are… well… creative. Many of these creative approaches simplify certain aspects of XML in order to squeeze document size, improve parser performance, and speed the mapping of XML document components to application objects.

Model First, Service-Enable Next

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:45:00 EDT

Reducing the cost of IT management is one of the primary pressures for most organizations. One of the most common ways to reduce such costs is to enable the reuse of applications that developers have already created and configured for the enterprise. In the past decade, especially in the past 3-5 years, companies have spent millions of dollars on enterprise software applications of all sorts: CRM, ERP, and other operational applications. The next few years will be less about new application development, and more about existing application integration and reuse.

SOA Zombies Gathering in Boston: July 23, 2009

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 08:45:00 EDT

Is SOA Dead? If so, then watch out, because SOA zombies are getting together to network at ZapThink's ZapForum Boston "Night of the Living SOA Dead" on Thursday, July 23, 2009 at MJ O'Connor's Bar in Boston, Massachusetts. At the event, a few dozen SOA pundits, peers, colleagues, competitors, and will join in a panel on SOA's future all the while encouraging networking, drinks, food, and a hearty debate on the topic of SOA's long life ahead with a panel of distinguished guests on the topic of SOA. Guests, Experts, and Pundits in attendance include Anne Thomas Manes, Jason Bloomberg, Dana Gardner, Brenda Michelson, Sandy Rogers, David Chappell, Thomas C. Burns, and Ronald Schmelzer. Cost is $29 to attend, network, and drink and eat as much as you can -- although eating brains is discouraged.

Cloud Governance Awakens

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EDT

As we predicted earlier in the year, cloud computing is starting to take hold, especially if you believe the marketing literature of vendors and consulting firms. Yet, we are seeing an increasing number of Cloud success stories, ranging from simplistic consumption of utility Services and offloading of compute resources to the sort of application and process clouds we discussed in a previous ZapFlash. Perhaps the reason why usage of the Cloud is still nascent in the enterprise is because of an increasing chorus of concerns being voiced about the usage of Cloud resources:

Who's Architecting the Cloud?

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:45:00 EDT

Will the cloud succumb to the same short-sighted, market pressure that doomed the ASP model and still plagues SaaS approaches? It’s not up to vendors to answer this question. It’s up to you … the enterprise architect.

Managing Your XML Documents with Schemas

Wed, 31 Jul 2002 00:00:00 EDT

The XML Schema Definition Language solves a number of problems posed with Document Type Definitions. Because DTDs prompted much confusion and complaining among XML developers, the W3C set about creating a new standard for defining a document's structure.