ZapThink and IASA Team Up to Deliver Cutting Edge Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) Credentials

BALTIMORE, MD and AUSTIN, TX March 2007 — ZapThink, the industry’s foremost experts and advisors in the field of SOA today announces its partnership with the International Association of Software Architects (IASA) to help develop the current state of Enterprise Architect (EA) and Software Architect credentials for Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA). IASA is the premier association focused on the architecture profession through the advancement of best practices and education while delivering programs and services to IT architects of all levels around the world.

In a recent report published by ZapThink, the lack of skilled EAs appears to be dramatically slowing the pace of IT architectural improvement and change. To prevent such shortages and lack of skills from impeding future SOA growth and adoption, both ZapThink and IASA are committed to developing programs which support and expand EA and SA skill sets.

“There is a significant lack of available, skilled, and qualified EA talent to meet the demand for rapidly growing SOA initiatives,” said Ronald Schmelzer, Senior Analyst with ZapThink. “IASA has proven that they are capable of reaching out and serving this audience by providing a worldwide organization that meets their education, certification, training, and career-building needs for SOA and other emerging architecture initiatives.”

ZapThink and IASA will immediately provide their respective customers and memberships joint offerings including discounts on ZapThink’s Licensed ZapThink Architect (LZA) credentialing as well as free one-year memberships to IASA for registered LZA Boot Camp attendees not currently IASA members. In addition, ZapThink and IASA are also working to further develop the LZA curriculum and will collaborate with the IASA Architecture Training Committee (ATC), a member run training and curriculum development board, to provide accreditation of the LZA Boot Camp offerings within the IASA certification and training curriculum.

“ZapThink is one of the foremost thought-leaders in the space of SOA, and it only makes sense to partner with them to further the goals of IASA,” explains Paul Preiss, President of IASA. “By collaborating on ZapThink’s LZA credentialing and training opportunities, IASA will further add value to its membership and its SOA education and certification initiatives.”

About ZapThink, LLC
Founded in October 2000, ZapThink, LLC (http://www.zapthink.com) is an IT advisory and analysis firm that provides trusted advice and critical insight into the architectural and organizational changes brought about by the movement to XML, Web Services, and Service Orientation. We provide our three target audiences of IT vendors, service providers and end-users a clear roadmap for standards-based, loosely coupled distributed computing - a vision of IT meeting the needs of the agile business. ZapThink is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. Its customers include Global 1000 firms and emerging businesses.

About IASA
Established in 2002, IASA is an international non-profit business association dedicated to the advancement and sharing of issues related to software architecture in the enterprise, product, education and government sectors. The association is committed to improving the quality of the IT architecture industry by developing and delivering standards, education programs and developing accreditation programs and services that optimize the development of architecture profession. IASA membership consists of approximately 5,000 members located in over 40 countries.

ZAPTHINK CONTACT:
Ronald Schmelzer
ZapThink, LLC
108 Woodlawn Rd
Baltimore, MD 21210
Phone: +1 (781) 207-0203
info@zapthink.com

IASA CONTACT:
Gloria Preiss
7901 Cameron Rd. # 259
Austin, Texas 78754
Phone: +1 (866) 399-4272
contact@iasahome.org