As the new year started, a noted IT analyst declared SOA to be "dead," stating that the methodology "turned into a great failed experiment-at least for most organizations. SOA was supposed to reduce costs and increase agility on a massive scale," the analyst explains. "Except in rare situations, SOA has failed to deliver its promised benefits. After investing millions, IT systems are no better than before. In many organizations, things are worse: costs are higher, projects take longer, and systems are more fragile than ever." However, the people involved in implementations beg to differ. For example, Sandy Carter, IBM's vice president, SOA & WebSphere Marketing, Strategy and Channels, has published a long list of recent SOA success stories from air freight companies to school districts.

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