SOA vs SaaS… What’s the difference?
Comments(0) So I was trying to get a clear picture of these two ‘things’ and what they really mean. They sound similar when you say them, Service Oriented Architecture and Software as a Service. Not knowing a whole lot about either topic I kept asking myself, what’s the difference? Turns out, at least from my perspective, they are very different. SOA is really describing a way to architect software, while SaaS is about how to make software available to users. Here was the really big definitive point for myself, that in each phrase, the word Service means something entirely different.
With SOA, Service refers to something that easily interacts across platforms using industry standards for extreme compatibility. A good example could be a small utility application that uses Web Services to communicate. Since Web Services are an industry standard and cross platform, software built around them can meet SOA criteria.
With SaaS, Service refers to something offered without having to be installed, configured or maintained by your own system administrator. The company offering the software, like Salesforce.com for example, takes care of everything for you as part of the Service they provide the customer.
So the trick for me is to remember the definition of the word Service which has two meanings here. As long as you can keep those straight, it makes understanding the roles of SOA and SaaS much easier in this industry of ever growing terms and phrases that quite honestly borders on the ridiculous.�