Governance in Web-oriented Architectures

Web-oriented Architectures provide a way of designing an IT system by using a variety of Web Procedures, i.e., procedures (or services) called over the Web. The idea of (typically atomic) components that are black boxes, have interfaces, and can be assembled into a larger process is fundamental and has existed since the early days of distributed systems. Two particular types of modern distributed systems are Service-oriented Architectures and Resource-oriented Architectures, which are built upon specific technology stacks and define their own concepts. Web-oriented Architecture (WOA) is using the best of both worlds plus some specifics such as Web APIs, in order to build an interconnected IT system in the easiest way possible. In this paper we first sharpen our understanding of the concept behind a WOA, the topology of a WOA and possible integration scenarios within an enterprise. More importantly, we point out how governance and control of a WOA can be achieved, by using a controlling software element called the Web Architecture Controller (WAC) which specifies the Web-centric core elements of a WOA.