Web services aren't revolutionary, but their standards-based approach to integration and interoperability makes them a contender for 'next big thing' status. There are many opinions about the manner in which Web services will gain popularity and the industries that will benefit first. Mark Driver, research director of Internet and e-business technologies for the Stamford, Connecticut-based technology market research firm Gartner, doesn't expect widespread adoption until around 2003. "Right now, we're in early adopter territory," he says. Driver expects the technology to move quickly into the supply chain arena. "It will apply to any application where you need near-real-time exchange of data―where you need to exchange information across business partners." Financial institutions are also likely to be among the first adopters. "They have very complex interoperating environments," says Neal Goldman, Internet business research director for the Yankee Group, a Boston-based technology research firm. "They have mainframes talking to UNIX servers talking to whomever." Ross cautions that organizations need to be realistic about Web services' early potential. "I think anyone hoping this will be the silver bullet has to remember that this model only makes it simpler for the pieces of a distributed solution to find and communicate with each other," he says. Web services certainly don't provide a silver bullet, or even a brass ring. But the technology will make it a lot easier for organizations to develop applications for accessing, distributing, and exchanging information. "Done right," says Oracle's Blake, "Web services can dramatically ease B2B integration and speed application development. Web services are definitely something IT managers will want to explore."
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