The Internet Service Bus (ISB) promoted by Microsoft allows applications to exchange data within a cloud. Users will use it to grab applications governed by a sort of registry, a digital agreement or electronic contract. The ISB should also provide users with a uniform interface for applications gathered in the cloud. ISB works the same as an Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) in a service-oriented architecture, except "raised into the cloud," as Andreas Harl describes it. Hartl is Microsoft's director of platform strategy in Germany, who presented his results at CeBIT along with four of his project members together with OSBF software manager Richard Seibt.

ISB is primarily based on the open source ASF SOA platform from Sopera, their representative Dietmar Lenzen confided to Linux Magazine Online. The enterprise with its seat in Bonn, Germany, is one of five kernel developers for ISB. The bus primarily targets providers such as 1&1, says Lenzen, who offer Open Exchange and oher applications in the cloud and want uniform access to its services. Developers can also write their own cloud applications, he says, which can lead, for example, to meta-applications with uniform access to various applications. Developers would then use an XML interface in which they can integrate their Java applications.

ISB is still a patchwork in process and does not yet provide any software. It should, however, be open source, according to the presenters. The bundle also includes, for example, a so-called Identity Network Service (INS) that data security vendor Corisecio is promoting along with Microsoft. Sopera and Corisecio both belong to the Interoperability project at the OSBF. Internet provider 1&1, Open Exchange and Microsoft have also been busy working alongside them on ISB for the last three months.