But What Should an ESB Actually Do?

This study investigates the differences of opinion as to the functionality that should be exhibited by an enterprise service bus (ESB). It shows the results of a survey of representative ESB vendors and describes the consensus opinion of the functionality that is core to an ESB, as well as the expectations of functionality for an extended ESB. It also describes some of the functionality that, while relevant to SOA deployments, is generally regarded as being outside the scope of an ESB.

The analysis of responses shows the reasons for some of the differences of opinion and suggests a likely outcome.

According to Rob Hailstone, IDC's European research director, Software Infrastructure and SOA, "Confusion around the scope of ESB products is a hindrance to the market. This study shows that there is general agreement as to the core attributes an ESB should possess, but that there is less certainty regarding some of the extended attributes. The tiered model suggested in this study provides a way of discussing ESB functionality while avoiding the potential confusion."