1. Web Services Interoperability Organization
Accelerating Web Services Adoption February 6, 2002

2. The Context Businesses need to innovate at an ever increasing pace
Business success requires broad interoperability
Within an enterprise
Between business partners
Across a heterogeneous set of platforms, applications, and programming languages
Internet technologies are assumed, interoperability is required
Integration across platforms, applications, and programming languages is key. Web services provides the foundation to make it happen.

3. The Context The shift to Web services is underway
An Internet-native distributed computing model based on XML standards has emerged
Early implementations are solving problems today and generating future requirements
The Web services standards stack is increasing in size and complexity to match functionality requirements
The fundamental characteristic of Web services is interoperability
Assumes consistency across platforms, applications, and programming languages
The Web services specification stack continues to evolve quickly. The industry is expected to provide guidance at a rapid pace.

4. Challenges
“[the] Architecture of Web services is not fully crystallized. Without guidance, standards may fragment” Gartner Group, March 12, 2001
Part of the problem is that even at this early stage, Web services have more faces than Fu Manchu Inevitably, companies involved with Web services will define them in their own way. The term Web services will be a messy catchall phrase. Intelligent Enterprise, June 29, 2001
“It’s standards…that allow Web services to overcome the barriers of different programming languages, operating systems, and vendor platforms so multiple applications can interact.” eWeek, August 13, 2001
Challenges remaining are well understood throughout the industry. Both press and analysts have identified the need to come together and provide consistent guidance.

5. Opportunity: Accelerate Adoption?
More rapid progress on Web service interoperability accelerates adoption and market impact.
Web Services: Standards-based integration and interoperability across platforms, applications, and programming languages

6. What is Needed? Guidance Interoperability
Implementation guidance and support for Web services adoption
A common definition for Web services
Interoperability
Across platforms, applications, and programming languages
Consistent, reliable interoperability between Web services technologies from multiple vendors
A standards integrator to help Web services advance in a structured, coherent manner
A ‘standards integrator’ is needed to provide consistent guidance for Web services implementations.

7. Industry initiative for Web services
Interoperability
Organization
Industry initiative for Web services
Open to any organization committed to Web services
Promote and accelerate adoption, deployment
Focused on promoting Web service interoperability
Across platforms, applications, and programming languages
Promote a common, clear definition for Web services
Promote customer adoption & deployment
Integrate specifications from standards bodies
Implementation guidance & tools for customers building and deploying Web services
WS-I –a broad-based industry initiative focussed on promoting web services interoperability and providing customers w/ tools and support for implementing Web Services.

8. WS-I.org Deliverables Profiles Implementation Scenarios
Named groups of specifications at given version levels with conventions about how they work together
Implementation Scenarios
Solution scenarios based on customer requirements
Test suites and supporting materials
Sample solutions
Implementation aids
Conformance testing tools
Supporting documentation and white papers
Profiles group specifications to address specific types of Web services
Scenarios are defined to exercise features of the profile specifications
Testing materials provide samples and implementation aids for everyone developing Web services.

9. Conventions and Best Practices
WS-I.org Profiles
Profile
Provide guidance on general purpose Web services functionality
Address interoperability at a level above specification-by-specification
Supporting specifications and standards will be considered from multiple industry sources
Profile development will reflect market needs and requirements
Links to Specs
Conventions and Best Practices
Profiles group XML specifications and provide guidance on their implementation.

10. WS-I.org Scenarios Scenarios Test Input and Resources
Within a given Profile, a set of simple Web services are defined
used to exercise a specific set of functionality within a profile
Test Input and Resources
Identified issues become test/compliance cases for future activity, and are incorporated into supporting tools
Implementation guidance and source code will be available
Guidance is consistent across all the WS-I Working Groups
Scenarios define specific Web services to be implemented
Think of these as specifications for sample applications
The implementations provide input into test criteria and other necessary guidance

11. WS-I.org Test Activity Test Materials Sample Applications
Developed by Working Groups to test Web service implementations and detect errors
Final materials available to all Web service developers
Based on the Profiles adopted by the organization
Sample Applications
Working Group members implement the scenarios and identify interoperability issues
Implementations are developed with multiple platforms, tools, and programming languages
Source code for the implementations will be available
Provide implementation guidance to Web service developers
Test materials are used by anyone to verify Web service implementations

12. WS-I.org Test Activity Test Resources:
Monitoring tools (“Sniffer”) will be provided to collect Web service message traces and generate a log for subsequent analysis
Analysis tools (“Analyzer”) examine traces for correctness and use of recommended practices
Output of analysis tools is used as a basis for WS-I compliance claims
Tools are intended for use by any Web service developer
Source code will be available
Resources are provided to trace messages and analyze the interaction for implementation errors

13. WS-I.org Compliance
Vendors or Web services providers will be self-certifying, with an expected review by competitors and trade press
The logo/name can be used in connection with products or implementations that have successfully passed testing
WS-I members have no obligation to police compliance and WS-I has limited enforcement options
Members agree not to adopt or use a name, logo or mark that is confusingly similar to the approved logo/name
Compliance is self-certified by the Web service implementers.

14. Call to action: Join WS-I
Leadership and Commitment
Participate in a community of industry leaders and visionaries with a shared vision for Web services interoperability
Foster commitment across the community
Participation
Build customer participation and buy-in
Commit to an aggressive development schedule focused on delivering resources and guidelines for Web service implementations
The WS-I launch is intended to demonstrate the industry commitment to addressing Web services interoperability needs, and communicate our desire to quickly provide the guidance that customers are demanding.