ASP.NET XML Web Services 

XML Web services are the fundamental building blocks in the move to distributed computing on the Internet.

Open standards and the focus on communication and collaboration among people and applications have created an environment where XML Web services are becoming the platform for application integration.

XML Web services are small, discrete, building-block applications that connect to each other as well as to other applications through the Internet.

XML Web Services let applications share data, and more powerfully, invoke capabilities from other applications without regard to how those applications were built, what operating system or platform they run on, and what devices are used to access them.

XML Web Services are revolutionizing the way applications communicate with each other. With XML Web Services, there are no longer platform or device boundaries to cross.