It's the Information, Stupid

Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) fails to highlight the information that flows through it. We need to embrace an enterprise software architecture that puts information first and blends access to data, documents, concepts and services through a common interface.

This information-centric architecture differs from SOA. It relies on REpresentational State Transfer (REST) and adopts the design principles that made the Web immensely scalable and robust in the face of constant change. The benefits of an enterprise architecture that is REST-based and Web-inspired are striking. But why deviate from the SOA blue print laid down by industry leaders? Because information trumps services. If you understand the Web, you'll understand the REST.