SOA and COBOL

The problem that SOA attempts to solve is that of the reality of control. As programs comprise applications, applications comprise solutions, and solutions comprise IT systems, the odds of a modem IT system being composed of single-source components and data is nil. If one doesn't expect this and design and build the applications to deal with it, one is doomed to be left behind by those who do. While it might seem like SOA is "Just another way to build an application," it is really the only way to build a modern application, particularly if the application is to have any chance at all of being useful for more than a few years.