The company embraced the technology to do exactly what it was designed for: sharing information with business partners over the Internet. But even this leading-edge user is staying clear of the most recent Web services standards for security and more -- because they're too confusing.
"A lot of different organisations have gotten involved in Web services specifications, and some of them overlap," said Andy Miller, vice president of technical architecture at Corporate Express.
Instead of experimenting with the latest capabilities, Corporate Express is sticking with the most basic communication and data-formatting Web services standards. "We're just trying to keep it simple because we have no idea how this stuff is going to go," he said. Miller's decision underscores the confusion about Web services, a dizzying number of technical specifications for making programs exchange data over the Internet. Web services specifications are being developed in different standards bodies without a unifying authority. Without clear direction on standards, the payoff of the massive industry bet on Web services could be delayed -- or derailed -- because customers are sitting on the sidelines of a politicised and contentious standards process."Until we see more clarity and unification of Web service standards, then our IT purse strings will stay closed on new investments," said a publishing company's security expert, who wished to remain anonymous.
Attempting to rise above the noise from numerous standards bodies, an industry consortium called the Web Services Interoperability organisation (WS-I) is stepping up its efforts to clear up confusion. But as it takes on more advanced Web services capabilities, including such important technologies as "reliable messaging," the group faces a fresh set of challenges sorting through the infighting among vendors.
The WS-I was formed two years ago to provide guidelines and tests to ensure that Web services products from different providers interoperate as advertised. The group, whose members include more than 100 technology vendors, has eschewed the traditional standards body model, in which a group of experts tackle a specific issue and then publish technical blueprints. The WS-I instead puts out technical guidelines to ensure that Web services products from different providers can work together.
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