Although the SOA registry and repository are instrumental to promoting reuse, nearly 50 percent of respondents stated that they have no registry or repository solution in place or use an in-house solution. According to Hurwitz & Associates, the functionality of both is critical to promote reuse and that companies should look for a standards-based product to provide these functions. The research also suggests that companies with a formal solution for both a registry and repository are more likely to have their expectations for reuse met than those that have no solution.

The Hurwitz & Associates analysis further notes that organizations will benefit by better understanding the nature of reuse of services in an SOA, as this opens new dimensions of possibilities sourced in dynamic combinations of components in an environment where not all combinations will ever be tested. With the testing of SOA environments “taking a quantum leap in complexity,” the trust needed for SOA to attain widespread use will be built from the successful use of well-designed and well-tested services.

“Hurwitz & Associates believes that creating a viable SOA initiative is contingent upon the ability to ensure software quality and gain a trust of all constituents,” said report co-author Dr. Fern Halper of Hurwitz & Associates. “Organizations keen on reusing software components need to ensure they have been designed for reuse, tested in a SOA environment, described and published in an easily searchable registry/repository, and are compliant with policies, procedures and regulations that govern their use.”