For enterprises, especially those building a service-oriented architecture, getting connected means making it possible for different applications, databases, transport mechanisms and Web services to talk and interact seamlessly. However, these things usually dont speak easily to one another, which has led to a lot of unwieldy APIs, application integration and code wrapping.
One solution to this problem is the ESB (Enterprise Service Bus), which tries to provide a single layer on which diverse applications and data sources can talk to one another. In deployment, ESBs let IT staff create or edit applications, build interfaces, and connect applications and Web services via standard middleware technologies as well as Web services standards.
Recent releases from Iona Technologies plc. and Sonic Software Corp.—Artix 3.0 and Sonic Workbench 6.1, respectively—offer powerful, intuitive tools based on underlying ESB technology to help developers and business analysts build well-connected, capable SOAs.
Click here to read the full review of Iona Artix 3.0.
Click here to read the full review of Sonic Workbench 6.1.
Labs Director Jim Rapoza can be reached at jim_rapoza@ziffdavis.com.
Check out eWEEK.coms for the latest news, reviews and analysis in Web services.