Web services have become a very popular method for connecting distributed systems. The open standards-based techniques that Web services leverage provide many benefits in an enterprise computing environment, including cross-platform interoperability, simple firewall configuration, and limited software deployment requirements.

In the history of technology, the growth rate of the World Wide Web (W3) was unprecedented. The Internet spread faster and matured more rapidly than the TV, the radio, or even the light bulb. It was the 'big bang' phenomenon of information. W3 helped transform global business into a giant, borderless exchange, with information valued as currency.

As the trend towards Web services moves forward, it becomes more important that we understand its roots and origination. Subjects such as Web services, which have a tendency to be technologically discussed, should be viewed from a business angle wherever possible. In particular, the real possibilities of Web services can best be grasped when its foundation and the business needs for it are well understood. With some luck, as my background is technology, I'll be able to shed some light on why this trend has become so powerful and why it now has a chance to succeed in business.

A quick dip into your favorite English dictionary will tell you that the word collaborate derives from the Latin cum laborare, which simply translates to 'labor together.' While this is a fine sentiment, in a business context one must consider more than the simple etymology of the words. Had I occasion to pen the dictionary definition of electronic business collaboration I might simply state: 'Electronic Business Collaboration: a business model driving a broad spectrum of efficiency gains predicated on the support of open, distributed technology infrastructure.'

Web services offer a widely-accepted standardized frame-work for objects to discover and interact with each other using ubiquitous technologies: XML over HTTP. This article is about bridging two 'divides' in discussions of Web services in the press and newsgroups. The first divide is one of perception: ubiquitous services offer radically new ways of thinking about distributed systems, whereas much of the discussion today is about limited incremental steps from today's Web-page technology. The second divide is economic and social: some companies have the resources and the desire to adopt Web services rapidly while others do not. This article explores solutions to cross both divides.