When reaching the Service Aware level, it has been confirmed that the four pillars have been established, that relevant business requirements and goals are defined, and that the overall necessary organizational foundation for the SOA initiative is in place. Within this context, the term “service aware” does not refer to an IT enterprise becoming aware of SOA and service-orientation; it refers to an early planning stage that validates that the necessary foundations (pillars) and business direction for a planned SOA initiative are in place.