An active-architecture approach to COTS integration

COTS software products are increasingly becoming standard components for building integrated information systems. At the same time, the growth of electronic trading, turbulent market conditions, and a project-style approach to business have created a demand for information systems that can be rapidly adapted to changing business process demands. However, the ongoing development of COTS products is unpredictable as their developers and source code are rarely available. Flexible information systems use COTS components because they cost-effectively supply required component functionality. A software architecture can capture a system design as a set of interacting components and capture the role of COTS software in "implementing" certain components.