Distributed information systems - Issues and challenges for the software engineering research community

With the ever-increasing use of object-oriented middleware in distributed information systems, new challenges are facing the software engineering profession. Often, it is simply a testament to the sheer skill and dedication of the project teams involved that systems are implemented and successfully operate in demanding 24x7x365 environments. There is undoubtedly much that the software engineering research community could contribute to help make building complex distributed information systems easier, more predictable and more manageable. However, in order to produce tangible and useful research results, a thorough understanding must be gained of the fundamental problems facing software engineering professionals. In addition, research ideas must be tested in realistic environments and leverage the (albeit usually leading-edge) tools and technology that software engineers actually use.