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Business applications must communicate over networks to coordinate between customers, suppliers and colleagues. However, interconnecting diverse applications is challenging and expensive. Web services introduce a new era in application architecture by providing a standard intercommunication protocol. Connecting applications via the Internet or intranets, Web services perform the same tasks as dedicated networks, only with faster integration and deployment.
Universal communication
Relying on XML-based standards, Web services transmit data and processing commands to applications through standard XML protocol. Users don't need to know anything about the remote application's platform or programming language - all they need to provide is data, and instructions for processing it. Applications and businesses can communicate regardless of programming language, platform or software.
Developer efficiency
Developing enterprise-level business applications requires a disparate array of software - software that isn't always designed to be compatible. Developers spend more and more of their resources simply integrating software from different vendors. Web services help developers make connections between IT systems, significantly reducing integration time and cost. Experts forecast that Web services will improve development efficiency some 30% by 2005.
Business savings
Within the enterprise, Web services streamline business application performance, increasing speed and reducing cost. Web services can help customers and suppliers meet demand faster for less expense, offering fresh insight into the collaborative process. Relieved of the need to maintain proprietary networks - and enjoying lower software investment thanks to reduced development and integration costs - businesses can look forward to substantial savings.
ILOG supports Web services
ILOG Java products are already compatible with Web services.
ILOG JConfigurator, ILOG JRules and ILOG JViews can be embedded within Web services on the leading J2EE application server platforms. Customers can build Web services for customized product and service configurations, as well as Web services for expressing and modifying corporate policies. ILOG JViews can visually define a process flow, and can work in concert with ILOG JRules to express business policies. Upcoming versions of ILOG Java components will require very little coding to develop and deploy within Web services. In the future, it will be possible to invoke Web services from within ILOG components, just as Java and XML can be accessed today.
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