Conclusions

Connecting systems within an organization can be difficult enough, but when it comes to connecting systems between different companies, the number of problems seems to increase exponentially. Without trusted networks and common protocols, each connection becomes a custom effort—a full-blown development project in its own right. As XML technologies like SOAP become more widely supported, companies will find that their systems have more in common than ever before. Building new systems to support these standards now will pay dividends in saved effort for years to come.