Reengineering for service oriented architectures: A strategic decision model for integration versus migration

Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is a popular paradigm at present because it provides a standards-based conceptual framework for flexible and adaptable enterprise wide systems. This implies that most present systems need to be reengineered to become SOA compliant. However, SOA reengineering projects raise serious strategic as well as technical questions that require management oversight. This paper, based on practical experience with SOA projects, presents a decision model for SOA reengineering projects that combines strategic and technical factors with cost-benefit analysis for integration versus migration decisions. The paper identifies the key issues that need to be addressed in enterprise application reengineering projects for SOA, examines the strategic alternatives, explains how the alternatives can be evaluated based on architectural and cost-benefit considerations and illustrates the main ideas through a detailed case study.