This recent period has demonstrated that SOA-based large enterprise infrastructures are capable of responding to the new types of challenges faced by IT. „We noticed that most IT leaders consider the creation of a SOA-based infrastructure and they find it very important to gain information on what advantages and disadvantages this may bring for them.” – commented the announcement Gábor Darmai, the Technology Director of Alerant, Inc. „However, to gain a general understanding of SOA is not easy, given that exactly because of its flexibility and comprehensive nature, it does not define specific solutions. Based on the requirements and the given environment, the solutions are different in each case.” – he added.

SOA Start provides help in this situation for companies and institutions that are considering the implementation of a service oriented architecture or for those who already made this decision. In a short period of time and with little expense the companies using the service of SOA Start can get an overview of what benefits SOA implementation may bring for them and can also consider which solution to chose. SOA Start consists of a brief, interactive series of interviews and workshops, at which the representatives of all the interested company’s areas affected by the implementation take part. The experts of Alerant and BCA developed a methodology on the basis of their experiences, with the help of which the interested company’s professionals can accurately define what they expect from SOA, which path to chose and in addition, they have the chance to get acquainted with a service-and process-oriented attitude and mindset. The group explores which those business and IT focus areas are where SOA strategy may deliver positive results and reviews the related IT options. As a result of the joint work, the company gets a clear picture of how it can re-use its existing IT tools in the most efficient manner and can start formulating a long term SOA roadmap and the concept of a SOA-based organization facilitating SOA implementation and operation.

Gábor Szécsi, senior consultant of BCA Hungary emphasized: „Our goal with launching this new service was to promote the conversation between the IT and the business area. We often find that the IT organization within a company is under great stress and it feels that a SOA-type infrastructure may represent the solution but it does not have the means to provide the modeling for the business area and to demonstrate the expected benefits and opportunities. A joint thinking and planning may be started within the framework of SOA Start.”