Service oriented architecture, SOA , complements the next version of the web, web 2.0, by allowing people to create applications and applets that can easily be reused. It is easy to see how Google Maps (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps) can be used to create completely new applications using the idea of a mash-up to embed the Google code.

Now imagine the possibility of using a service oriented architecture to develop an application that could be embedded on third-party sites. This code could actually be used as a marketing tool. Those sites that embed it would, in fact, be promoting your brand.

Andy Mulholland, global chief technology officer of Capgemini, explores this in the second part of his interview with Computer Weekly (www.computerweekly.com/podcasts).