Web Services Brokering & Shelfware

Dave Linthicum points to an important next step in web services evolution and adoption brokering, or, allowing consumers of services to find producers of services. He points to a few instances of brokers today, including Strike Iron, Jamcracker, and SalCentral - these brokers are also similar to directory and governance systems we are defining in SOAs today. Just like monetized Web sites one shall be able to create a service, register it with a broker. The on-demand application service providers are beginning to sell their Web services versus simple browser interfaces to applications. The key beneficiary could be the smaller players, hitting it big time as they create that killer service that everyone wants to leverage.
Web Services deployment is seen as almost universal and initiatives like CRM, SRM, SCM & regulatory pressures like SOX and focused efforts like quality initiatives leverage web services substantially. Web Services can clearly bring to organisations more flexibility, better returns and can amplify the power of delivered IT value inside enterprises - the challenge to any CIO is a minimum two fold - understanding the true significance & identifying the right solution fitment to their context and be seen as protected in the present and future and at a different level truly differentiating between genuine solutions and me toos . Dave offers a sensible approach towards building web services: Granular solutions, scenario planning, usage tracking & design quality. I am bullish about this taking off – to an extent this should find a decent market/volume share.
With initiatives like this and with potentially more and more widely distributed – array of services are made available the industry stands to gain a lot more. With the profound impact web services may have on business, the upside for brokerage and near retail sale of services could only gain momentum.