SOA provides software services to business systems just as power adaptors allow business travelers to have electrical power when in different countries. SOA similarly allows a service to be delivered on demand, according to the needs of the business system, between different applications that would otherwise not be able to talk to each other. Such services are varied and typically have in common the fact that they are loosely coupled and thus only connected and delivered as needed. Examples of these services include Address Correction, Credit Card clearing and other eCommerce transactions. 

In this modern day of software, “separation of services” allows a software developer to focus on its expertise and use the services of other experts as needed. No business is expert in everything; using service modules provided by other experts allows the software developer to deliver the customer’s requirements faster and better using the tools and processes that already exist. Unlike the traditional built-in software development model, the service is only called when it is needed. Maintenance and overhead of the service software are handled by the service provider. 

UNISON uses SOAP and XML for its SOA compliance to utilize web services. One such service includes credit card authorization in real time to support both web ecommerce as well as internal UNISON business system orders. In that example, UNISON is the service consumer.   

Other examples include the many services where UNISON is the service provider. As a services provider to an eCommerce web site, UNISON delivers such services as product information, price and availability, shipment history, payment application and address change. These are some examples of expert services that should not be developed on the eCommerce site as they already exist, including all the business logic built into UNISON. 

The result of the SOA structure within UNISON provides the best of breed tools with as-needed, loosely coupled connections that do not add cost and complexity to the software. This keeps the total cost of ownership down and delivers a powerful user experience. 

Al Alteslane, GTS’s President, said, “We at GTS are very pleased to be the first to offer publishers the flexibility, ease of use and lower overall cost of operation associated with SOA based solutions.”

Global Turnkey Systems, Inc. (GTS) was established in 1969 and has grown to become a leader in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software and systems for the publishing industry, specifically for publishers of subscriptions, books, and e-information products. Some of Global's multi-national customers are Reed-Elsevier, Thomson Corporation, Wolters Kluwer, Springer-Verlag, and Scholastic, Inc. The GTS team is comprised of not only systems experts, but publishing experts as well. Many GTS employees come from the publishing industry and truly understand the needs of their customers. GTS works exclusively with the publishing community, allowing it to devote 100% of research and development to the changing requirements in the industry.  

GTS provides two leading edge publishing specific products to the publishing marketplace. At the high to mid-range market, GTS offers UNISON. For smaller publishers with less complex needs, GTS offers iPUB. Both products are state-of-the-art solutions and allow GTS to recommend the right solution for a particular publisher's unique needs.  Both offerings have integrated modules including: order processing, invoicing, accounts receivable, inventory control, sales analysis, royalties, mail list management, contact management, special promotions, EDI, job costing, accounts payable, purchasing, and general ledger.  UNISON also offers subscription fulfillment and circulation management. 

Additionally, GTS's Professional Services team assists throughout the implementation, offering superior project planning, business requirements analysis, conversion assistance, testing, training, and technical support.  For more information, please contact sales at Sales@GTSystems.com or call 800-524-2132 x604. Global can be found on the web at www.GTSystems.com.