In the next generation of the Web, services rather than the computers themselves, form the foundational blocks of the Internet. At the center of this “web of services” or more simply, Web services, are business registries. Business registries are the meeting point between Web service users, Web service providers, and Web service deployers.

To us, it is a unique experience to be part of this burgeoning technology paradigm. Having been involved from the beginning with our work on HP’s E-speak initiative, we have had the honor of participating in the Web services play, right from Act One, if you will. We have had the fortune to not only help develop and bring Web service technologies to market but also to help deploy Web service solutions with customers.

Business registries are a cornerstone of the Web services phenomenon. Both the deployment of business registries and the development of Web services need to be explained and fostered to achieve the “web of services” vision. To ensure the easy registration and discovery of Web services, consortiums are being formed to standardize the processes of describing and registering services. The Universal Definition Description Integration (UDDI) group and ebXML Business Registries are just two examples of major XML-based business registry initiatives.

Believing in the paradigm’s promise to make businesses work more smoothly together despite corporate and technology boundaries, it makes sense to us to help share the vision and value with those just beginning their Web services journey. Writing our second Web services-focused book on UDDI was a natural choice for us as it is an aspect of the Web Services paradigm that has not been explained as comprehensively ever before. In this book, we examine business registries in detail by discussing the value proposition and explain the technology for registering and discovering Web services through a series of examples and case studies.

We hope this book provides you the knowledge to fit business registries, and more specifically UDDI, in your Web services solutions because business registries are expected to play a pivotal role in the next Chapter of the Internet.