Sun Enterprise Software VP Mark Bauhaus is responsible for the company's Web services business, which encompasses strategy, technology, and products.

In this interview, Mark gives us an update on important Web services topics affecting developers, including his views on the benefits of developing with a service-oriented architecture approach. He even tips his hand about upcoming new features in the Java Enterprise System (Java ES), Sun's integrated platform for Web services development and deployment.

Q: Standards are really important to Web applications because they enable interoperability and choice. What should IT managers keep in mind as they develop and deploy Web services applications?

A: That's right. Open standards create markets where our customers can choose among products and vendors. That flexibility is particularly important with pervasive initiatives such as Web services. Sun is a large supporter of standards bodies such as the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and OASIS, as well as coordinating bodies such as the Web Services Interoperability Organization (WS-I).

Standards must apply to multiple environments. People talk about using standards such as XML, SOAP, and WSDL, but many implementations have proprietary extensions that lock the application to a particular operating system. When that happens, the implementation is not really open or standard.