"Web services" are something that people throw around quite a bit these days, with everyone from Google to Amazon getting into the act. But, most people that I've talked to are still pretty much in the dark about what web services are, and how they can help you and your company out. Well, this article from Devarticles might just clear a few things up.

From all those [past] experiences, I've learned the best way to describe Web Services is by this analogy: Web Services are to enterprise component architecture as the RCA phono jack was to component entertainment systems in the consumer electronics industry more than 25 years ago.

It's a great analogy, and I think it really defines the usefulness of web services. While they're nothing new, web services can be part of the glue that holds your systems together, and make talking between them quick and easy. He also gives some specific cases where people, both inside of a corporation and outside, can benefit from some web services. Think about it - a quick, easy way for everyone else to access only the parts of your data that you want them to...