Deploying a service-oriented architecture can enable a chief information officer to cut IT costs and control spending on maintaining and adding legacy systems. But convincing business colleagues about SOA's benefits can be difficult.

A recent CIO Insight report aims to help CIOs "demystify" SOA so companies can better understand the technology.

CIOs need to relay the benefits of SOA. For example, it can increase productivity by cutting the time needed for staff to build a service, while also shortening project delivery times.

CIOs should also highlight SOA's ability to increase innovation, as web-based apps and cloud mobile solutions are the two most common uses of SOA, according to the report.

"You need to 'sell' your organizations on SOA as a business-focused enterprise innovation, rather than trying to explain its technical capabilities to corporate decision-makers," CIO Insight reports.

A recent report highlighted the benefits of service-oriented architecture for companies struggling with legacy modernization. SOA can free companies from costly legacy system maintenance and modernization to become more efficient, according to the report.