|
Model-driven and event-driven architectures are
two technologies expected to have a big impact on developers over
the next decade. And while many IT professionals are in the dark
about much of Gartner's "Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies"
these architectures, along with AJAX apps, have very bright futures.
The Gartner
report released last week includes an analysis of 36 technologies
and trends that are expected to mature within the next 10 years
in a five-step process Gartner calls the "hype cycle".
Emerging trends begin at the "technology trigger"
stage with a product launch, move on to the "peak of inflated
expectations" stage thanks to media-generated buzz, then advance
to the "trough of disillusionment" period when the technology
fails to meet developers' expectations, proceeds to the "slope
of enlightenment" phase when IT professionals continue to experiment
and apply the technology despite the decline in media coverage,
and finally peak at the "plateau of productivity" stage,
as the industry absorbs and accepts its advantages. And the increasing
popularity of SOA is responsible for these emerging technologies.
"SOA-that's the current big wave that everyone
needs to be aware of and tapped into", said Jackie Fenn, Gartner
fellow and creator of the hype cycle.
While Fenn explains that some enterprises have
already begun implementing service-oriented architectures, many
have yet to explore migration of their event-driven and model-driven
apps to SOA. But that will likely change. "We think this is
becoming a hyped and focused-on approach."
Event-driven architecture (EDA) is a common style for distributed apps that are typically designed into modular, encapsulated, shareable components with event services. The services can be created through an app, an adapter or agent acting non-invasively. According to the report, those in the financial trading, energy trading, telecommunications and fraud detection industries have begun using EDA technology, along with the Department of Homeland Security. But Gartner says EDA is at least five years from mainstream maturity.
As for Model-driven architecture (MDA), a technology from the Object Management Group, the process will turn the heads of developers simply for its increased flexibility through SOA. The technology distinguishes biz-level functionality from the technical complexity of its implementation, enabling the apps to be modeled by standards like Unified Modeling Language. This allows the models to operate free from potential platform limitations and instantiate them into specific runtime implementations using a target platform of choice. Fenn says both MDAs and EDAs will find their niche with developers largely thanks to SOA and their bottom-line boosting perks.
And Fenn says a third "high impact" technology,
AJAX, will soon enough prove influential to the dev lifecycle and
should reach maturity within the next two years.
"AJAX gives you that more responsive user
experience in the browser environment", Fenn says.
The Web 2.0 technology is a combination of processes that developers use to increase functionality for their end users, metamorphosing a limited and frustrating Web app into a more readable service. While the improvements may not be extreme, the report says AJAX apps have the ability to raise bottom lines by enhancing the user-friendliness and reliability of such Web apps.
The "Hype
Cycle for Emerging Technologies 2006" is one of 78 "hype
cycle" reports Gartner released this year. The report evaluated
nearly 2,000 information technologies and trends among more than
75 industries. Gartner analysts reviewed and debated each technology
within a "cross-industry view", rating performance, services
and how each technology will impact an org's bottom line.
According to Fenn, those emerging technologies
deemed "high impact" will pay the biggest dividends for
businesses over the next decade. But while each trend's maturity
rate remains constant, she cautions that each technology's benefits
will vary throughout industries.
"Be selectively aggressive-identify which
technologies could benefit your business, and evaluate them earlier
in the hype cycle", she says. "For technologies that will
have a lower impact on your business, let others learn the difficult
lessons, and adopt the technologies when they are more mature."
|
