Security Uses

Many sites find the http or https protocol more practical for security.  The WS Security standard is still evolving, and not all of their chosen systems may support the same level of the standard.  Different application servers also have different approaches to security.   As a result, rather than implementing full Web Services security (WS Security) for communication that is already behind their firewall, some sites prefer to use characteristics of the request itself to ensure the request comes from a valid source.

The test is performed in the service itself.  Before performing the requested action, the service checks information intrinsic to the request -- such as the name the request server, or IP address of the request server along with username, password, and timestamp information.  The services look to see if these characteristics match valid elements within the IT infrastructure; if so, the rest of the request is allowed to execute.

Device Integration

Another use of the http or https protocol is remote device integration.  Many devices, such as building systems monitors or kiosks, support basic Internet operations such as GET and PUT, but do not support full Web Services.  Since Archibus can also process requests made via http or https, you can integrate such devices directly.