http://www.soamag.com The SOA Magazine is a monthly online publication provided by SOA Systems Inc. and Prentice Hall/PearsonPTR and is officially associated with the "Prentice Hall Service-Oriented Computing Series from Thomas Erl." SOA en-us Copyright 2006-2007, SOA Systems Inc. http://www.soamag.com/I4/0207-3.asp Globalization is having a tremendous impact on IT. Fueled by technological change and innovation IT is becoming more capable than ever of establishing itself as a true partner to business, a trend that is creating the opportunity for a new breed of IT professional: one that is both technology and business savvy. In this article we discuss the genesis of this accelerating wave of change, how it has been responsible for and relates to the service-oriented architectural model, and how it is contributing to a new field we can call "business technology." (First published in The SOA Magazine Issue IV, February 2007.) SOA http://www.soamag.com/contributors/bio-rlaird.asp#When:29.01.07