Methods, systems, and software for providing service integration framework

A system for linking applications and services, comprising:

• a vendor connectivity component operable to provide service location and activation capabilities using one or more standard interfaces comprising a Universal Discovery Description and Integration interface;
• a business integration component operable to provide call context information that indicates at least one from the set comprising:
• caller, calling channel, calling program, and calling device;
• a security component operable to provide single sign-on to access a plurality of services;
• a utility component operable to provide applications access to utility services through a first standardized application program interface (API);
• and
• a back end connectivity component operable to provide applications access to backend data sources through a second standardized API.