A web service is a software application on a network that has an interface through which other programs can gain access. Web services can be as simple as a mortgage calculator program or as complex as a Fortune 500 software application built from components from y all over the world. They are currently being used to help large and small businesses get the most from their Information Technology resources by allowing the integration of diverse software applications, from desktop programs to large enterprise-wide systems. Not only are web services useful for day-to-day operations of a company, but they are especially helpful for post- merger or post-acquisition system merger. (Geerts,Paretta & White, 2004).

             XML, the root markup language and key ingredient for creating web services, is gaining in popularity, according to IDC, which has seen the growth in XML-based servers go up by 160% over the last year. Forrester Research, Cambridge, Mass., notes that $500 million has already been spent on early projects in the financial services sector, while Gartner-Group, Stamford, Conn., suggests that the web services software market will reach $1.7 billion in the U.S. by next year and balloon up from there.( Ismail, Ayman, Samir Patil, and Suneel Saigal, 2002)/ This paper will give an overview of web services technology, and talk about XML, WSDL, SOAP and UDDI and how they fit into the process. It will also briefly explain how Microsoft.NET fits into the Web Services architecture.

             Explanation of Web Services.

             The key to making web services work is data, process, and communication standards. The communication protocol standard is the same as the Internet, TCP/IP. All computers can understand TCP/IP. Web services implement the client-server model over the World Wide Web). On the client side, for example, they manage the different creen shapes and sizes and the different connection speeds of desktop computers, mobile telephones, and PDAs.