Layer 7 and Nexaweb Partner to Bridge SOA and Rich Internet Apps

SOA security gateway maker Layer 7 Technologies and enterprise Web 2.0 software vendor Nexaweb have announced a partnership aimed at better integration between SOA and Web 2.0, called Web2SOA. Nexaweb says that the aim is to bring better security to its RIAs (rich Internet applications) that access enterprise systems, as well as promote the idea of SOA as a platform for Web 2.0 apps.

The latter is certainly a good idea: SOA is an ideal back-end for RIAs, and for now most companies can get more value out of Ajax and other RIAs than the more social aspects of Web 2.0, such as wikis and blogs. And of the SOA security gateways, Layer 7 has been particularly focused on RIAs. Unlike most server-to-server Web services, browser-based clients don't use the SOAP stack and in many cases aren't even based on XML. In contrast, Layer 7 has long touted its ability to look beyond XML, inspecting other messaging formats and HTTP payloads.

However, Nexaweb admits that it and Layer 7 together aren't enough for complete integration. They can secure everything from the Layer 7 XML firewall to the Nexaweb client-side runtime, but neither sells back-end SOA integration products. That's positive from one perspective, as it means they're not tied to any particular ESB, application platform or other component. But full integration between SOA and RIAs will also have to involve other SOA platform vendors, and their participation is unlikely as many also sell RIA and security products of their own.