June 2003 Cutter Benchmark Review -- An Update on Web Services: Better Definitions, Expanding Use

by Robert D. Austin

About a year ago, we first addressed the subject of Web services in CBR . At that time, Cutter survey results raised many questions about the meaning of "Web services," how companies intended to use these services, and why many respondents seemed so down on ASPs but nonetheless willing to consider using Web services in analogous ways. The data contained seemingly contradictory results, as is probably not surprising for a relatively early stage in the use of a new technology. In my review of that issue (Vol. 2, No. 7), I found the picture painted by the survey responses so perplexing that I exclaimed in my opening comments: "Come on, folks! What's going on with this data?"