Service-oriented architecture (SOA) has become an important topic for financial services organizations, offering new levels of flexibility, adaptability and cost savings. This book cuts through the confusion by clearly describing SAP''s approach to SOA -- the Enterprise Services Architecture (ESA), shared with leading banks and insurance companies. By illustrating the principles and vision behind ESA, this invaluable guide shows you exactly how it can benefit your financial services firm. In a concise and easy-to-read format, the authors introduce you to ESA and explain exactly how it works. In addition, you get a detailed description of the key steps that financial services institutions need to take in order to successfully deploy ESA.