Data Services, DRM and SOA

My perspective on SOA is unabashedly not strictly technical. It is also business and conceptual. These days, I am finding that most 'technical' issues have the dual nature of technical/business or need/capability. We attacked this head on in the SOA-RM - and that we continue to see this pattern apply and remain valid is a testament to the work.

The most recent example is related to Digital Rights Management:

I'm working with a group of colleagues to explore the chartering of an OASIS TC to collect, analyze and document the requirements and patterns for data management and sharing in a networked environment where data services lie under different domains of ownership and stewardship. One of the topics that we're working through is what role Digital Rights Management (DRM) should play in this solution. Matt Mackenzie suggested that we consider the perspectives expressed by Steve Jobs. What comes through loud and clear from his letter is the reality that challenges of DRM are not solely technical. The business model of the Big Four requires a complex technical DRM solution from music stores - but I see essentially a conflict between business models between them and companies like Apple. Within the data services discussion, we are looking at a technical interoperability solution, but I remain unclear whether we run risk of over-complicating business and policy issues by trying to solve them only with technical tools and almost oblivious to non-technical solutions. That said, while a technical TC isn't the right forum to solve these business level issues, I don't know what would be the right place to address those issues.

We're back again to the alignment of technology to business objectives. It is left unspecified how it is possible align technology when business objectives conflict =)

No pun intended....but I feel like a broken record.