We've all experienced the hype: "We're a SOA tool, and we're here to help!"

However, most SOA vendors out there don't understand the value of SOA, or even how to approach SOA. They focus on the tactical and not the strategic. Why? A tactical approach is easier for them to sell, and easier for them to understand. However, this approach means they are selling their customers short.

Take integration, for example. We've understood how to do integration since the early days of EAI, and, indeed, it's clearly a component of SOA. However, integration, on its own, is not architecture. Thus, just binding systems together is not architecture, thus it is not SOA.