Web Services Current Trends And Future Opportunities - Essay Example

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We're well into the current era of the Web, commonly referred to as Web 2.0. Features of this phase of the Web include search, social networks, online media (music, video, etc), content aggregation and syndication (RSS), and mashups (APIs). Currently the Web is still mostly accessed via a PC, but we're starting to see more Web excitement from mobile devices (e.g. iPhone) and television sets (e.g. XBox Live 360). Richard MacManus(2007)

Web services extend the World Wide Web infrastructure to provide the means for software to connect to other software applications. Applications access Web services via ubiquitous Web protocols and data formats such as HTTP, XML, and SOAP, with no need to worry about how each Web service is implemented. Web services combine the best aspects of component-based development and the Web, and are a cornerstone of the Microsoft .NET programming model. MSDN Library(2008)
Web Services in the business world, in the most simplistic fashion, provide a mechanism of communication between two remote systems, connected through the network of the Web Services. For example, in case of a merger or an acquisition, companies don't have to invest large sums of money developing software to bring the systems of the different companies together. By extending the business applications as Web Services, the information systems of different companies can be linked. These business systems then can be accessed by using simple SOAP messages over the normal HTTP Web protocol. For example, a manufacturing company requires some raw materials to be supplied whenever the material in stock reaches the threshold levels. These levels can be constantly monitored by the business system of a trusted supplier, and promptly replenished, without having to wait for a supervisor to notice it and generate a work order. Lakshmi Ananthamurthy(2004)
The use of web applications from mobile devices is gaining popularity these days. Such as receiving personalized shopping offers as you walk through your local mall, or getting map directions while driving your car, or hooking up with your friends on a Friday night. Look for the big Internet companies like Yahoo and Google to become key mobile portals, alongside the operators. Web Services is the only remote invocation method for .Net compact Framework designed for mobile devices.
Another concept is Attention Economy. That is a marketplace where consumers agree to receive services in exchange for their attention. Examples include personalized news, personalized search, alerts and recommendations to buy. The Attention Economy is about the consumer having choice - they get to choose where their attention is 'spent'. Another key ingredient in the attention game is relevancy. As long as the consumer sees relevant content, he/she is going to stick around - and that creates more opportunities to sell. Web Services introduce a new vision of the web. Web today is both a platform and a database. Businesses are more likely to expose their information to the real world. With this emerges a new concept of the transformation of WebSites into web services. The ...Download file to see next pagesRead More