Rise in productivity and profitability
Both companies and government agencies are increasingly relying on service-oriented architecture (SOA) in developing their IT systems. Software-oriented architecture uses Web-capable applications to integrate existing services with new applications. In this way, information and software functions are available to all users at any time, whether within their own organization or in cooperation with partners. This leads to significant advantages for customers:

		Existing system architecture has more versatility and better performance
		Systems, processes and procedures can be managed more effectively and with greater flexibility
		Clients can be sure their IT investments provide greater benefits and will be continuously supported and updated

XML competence brings competitive advantage
SOA satisfies key customer criteria for IT investments. As a result, demand for SOA is high. Software AG plays a significant role in the advancement of service-oriented architecture, since SOA can only be implemented using web services, Internet standards, and, in particular, eXtensible Markup Language (XML). XML is the key to integration and data exchange, and Software AG is an international leader in XML technology. Moreover, the core strengths of our products are integration and modernization. These advantages put us in a pole position to profit from rising demand for SOA components.

Rapidly growing market
Software AG is using its strong position in the XML environment to steadily expand its product portfolio for service-oriented architecture to accommodate the swiftly growing SOA demand. Experts such as Gartner Group analysts anticipate that approximately 80 percent of companies will be basing their IT on SOA as early as 2008. Service-oriented architecture is an attractive topic for the future – for our customers and for Software AG.