Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)

Since its inception, the principles of a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) have been at the core of Cúram’s architecture. Along with embracing the underlying principles of SOA, Cúram provides out-of-the-box support for web services - an enabling technology for SOA. In addition to basic technical support (generation of WSDL and SOAP calls) Cúram allows any Cúram Business Object (of which there are over 5,000 in the Core Enterprise Framework and 10,000+ in Cúram Application Modules) to be exposed as a web service, and Cúram Business Objects can in turn consume an externally defined web service.

Customers can define which functionality to expose as web services depending on specific project and business requirements. For example, at the lowest level, a customer can point to an ‘address object read operation’ or at a higher level point to the ‘screen a participant’ function, and expose them as web services. Furthermore, customers can compose their own web services which can reuse any number and granularity of Cúram’s Business Objects. These Services may be used by any application (Cúram or non-Cúram) that uses web services as an interoperability mechanism.

• Supports Web Service standards required by the WS-I Basic Protocol and Basic Security Protocol (HTTP, SOAP, WSDL, XML Schema, WS-Security)
• Supports Business process modelling standards for interoperability (WS-BPEL)
• Full generation of inbound and outbound Web Services

Cúram’s SOA strategy also supports agencies’ Incremental Modernization and Transformation (IMT) initiatives by providing flexibility in the communication interaction between the Channel, SEM Process and Enterprise Service Layers. This allows for the upgrade of their legacy systems piece by piece rather than on an all or nothing basis.

SOA Acceptance

In order to ensure that Cúram Software’s SOA approach is industry standard, Cúram went through rigorous evaluation and certification processes with IBM and SAP with positive results.

IBM

• Cúram has received acceptance to the IBM SOA Specialty after successfully completing IBM’s rigorous SOA technical and business requirements. With this achievement the Cúram Business Application Suite integrates with the IBM SOA Foundation, a single, integrated platform that combines the industry’s top application server and integration capabilities.

• Cúram Software is listed on the IBM SOA Business Catalog

SAP

• The Cúram Business Application Suite achieved “Powered by SAP NetWeaver® certification status by the SAP Integration and Certification Center (ICC). 

• The Cúram Business Application Suite can be successfully deployed on the Java EE 5-based SAP NetWeaver CE 7.1

MITA

• Certification by The Federal Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS), as Medicaid Information Technology Architecture (MITA) Compliant. MITA is CMS’s approach to an SOA development environment. Cúram is also a member of the Federal CMS MITA Technical Architecture Committee.

Value

Within the context of a well-thought out enterprise architecture, SOA can provide significant benefits to public sector organizations in the form of lowering the cost of integration and providing more flexible, dynamic systems.

• Able to expose any piece of Cúram business logic as a web service
• Can consume web services exposed by other applications
• Cúram is built on mature open standards and de-facto industry standards
• Integrates with existing technology investments
• COTS + SOA brings enhanced upgradability, maintainability, performance, and scalability

Cúram applications provide both the technology and business architecture to deploy SOA in a low-risk, incremental fashion – whether Cúram provides the foundation for your enterprise architecture or simply delivers services in support of your Social Enterprise Management business processes. Whatever the case, Cúram will continue to deliver and enhance a flexible, proven architecture for SEM organizations that minimizes risk, allows you to leverage existing assets and ultimately improves service to citizens – the goal of any public sector organization’s enterprise architecture.