What is the difference between ESB, XML Firewall and Web Services Management providers?
At a high level there is very little difference. SOA Software believes that the distinction between these terms, and the terms themselves are transitory. To clarify, the terms exist as a result of different market sectors approaching the common problem of Web Services Management, or SOA Enablement; the EAI companies created ESB to highlight their value as a messaging system while the hardware vendors invented the XML Firewall due to the market’s familiarity with the traditional firewall. As we move forward, SOA Enablement will exist as a ubiquitous fabric that exists to abstract multiple transports, platforms and deployment scenarios.
