In this chapter, we introduced service-oriented architectures (SOAs) and saw how Lotus Notes 8 and 8.5 supports it. We then looked at several Notes features and capabilities that can help you implement SOA-based architectures within your own organization.

We saw that with a foundation in open technologies like Eclipse and with the introduction of the Composite Application Editor, Lotus Notes can be a key part of an SOA.

We also saw that currently Lotus Notes 8 only participates directly in the Assemble phase of an SOA Lifecycle. However, the open framework on which Lotus Notes 8 is based provides a highly flexible platform, and we can expect to see significant growth of Lotus Notes as a key factor in the growth and adoption of SOAs.