Don't Rip and Replace, Integrate!

Since the inception of OO approaches to developing applications, the focus has been on applying these techniques to build applications that replace older and more inflexible applications – essentially, the rip and replace approach. However, over the same time period, technology has accelerated the pace of change and enabled new ways of doing business. Companies are being forced to understand and prepare for these changes to gain the advantage over competitors and lead their industries. IBM has defined the next wave of change as the e-business on demand era (http://www-3.ibm.com/ebusiness/index_fl.html.) An on demand business is an enterprise whose business processes—integrated end-to-end across the company and with key partners, suppliers, and customers—can respond with flexibility and speed to any customer demand, market opportunity, or external threat.