An E-service SOA model for virtual service enterprises

Abstract

Economic theory defines services as customisable, interactive processes that providers have the potential to carry out together with clients that benefit from their effects. It is understood that service transactions are best organised by means of virtual collaborative networks, where ICT allows configuring multiple providers and processes on a per-request basis. Existing conceptual models for virtual service enterprises propose service virtualisation to allow for flexible and agile regulation and enforcement of coordination between multiple providers and clients. In this paper, we present an approach for realising business service virtualisation based on software service technology. In particular, we propose a SOA model for representing virtual business service processes as e-services. E-service models specify interactions between multiple providers and clients of virtual service enterprises by means of patterns and allow for flexible regulation and enforcement of their coordination. © 2008 International Federation for Information Processing.