Software Architect's Handbook

Cost-benefit analysis of SOA

As a software architect, if you are considering SOA for an application, you will need to explain the reasons why you are considering it. Adopting an SOA comes at some cost, but there are points you can make to justify the costs and ways that you can alleviate them.

The cost of implementing a SOA may outweigh the benefits for some organizations, so each case must be considered separately. While it may not be appropriate for some organizations to implement an SOA, for others a properly designed SOA will bring many benefits, including a positive return on investment.

Adopting SOA can be a gradual, evolutionary process. Because a contemporary SOA promotes federation, creating an SOA does not have to be an all-or-nothing ...