StrikeIron Launches the Marketplace API.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. -- Web service enables ISVs to create "live" smart applications with seamless integration, "invoke-thru" usage tracking and on-the-fly licensing

StrikeIron(R) Inc., the worldwide leader of Web services commercialization through the StrikeIron Web Services Marketplace(TM), today announced the launch of the StrikeIron Marketplace API. The Marketplace API is a full-service interface that allows Independent Software Vendors to integrate StrikeIron Marketplace Web services into their on-demand applications. It also provides an integrated Web service interface allowing ISV partners to quickly and easily provide additional functionality and live data into their applications.

ISVs can now deliver applications that directly leverage external Web services without their customers needing to leave the application being used. Key benefits to ISVs include a seamless interface that provides on-the-fly Web services access for effortless integration with the ISV's application, customized Marketplace WSDLs for each ISV providing usage tracking for individual Web services across multiple ISV applications, and an "invoke-thru" mechanism which provides operational views and compensation directly to the ISV on a transactional model.

"StrikeIron offers a compelling solution for ISVs to extend and differentiate their solutions by enabling 'smart consumer' applications that can now be integrated with live data from StrikeIron's extensive and diverse catalog of Web services," said Ron Schmelzer, senior analyst, ZapThink LLC. "The StrikeIron Web Services Marketplace provides a significant variety of web services that enhance CRM, ecommerce, financial, data cleansing and countless other applications, delivering on the promise of Web services and service-oriented architectures to deliver composite, on-demand applications."

For example, CRMfusion, an online systems integrator and software developer, has integrated several data quality tools into their salesforce.com add-on AppExchange applications. Now salesforce.com users can easily access data cleansing Web services from CRMfusion's application. This eliminate the time consuming, costly and error prone methods of bulk data importing, exporting and cleansing and validating their contact database within salesforce.com.

"The Marketplace API from StrikeIron adds extraordinary value to CRMfusion's applications," said Glenn Wilson, president CRMfusion. "For example, data within multiple customer contact records can be validated, cleansed, and augmented in real-time directly within the CRM system."

StrikeIron Marketplace API Benefits:

--Plug and play access to Marketplace Web services (API access to the Marketplace).

--Integrated ISV interface allow ISV partners to quickly and easily provide additional functionality and live data into their applications.

--Offers a real-time directory of all services available in the Marketplace, including ISV-customized WSDL URLs for each Web service in the Marketplace.

--Registering and provisioning of Web services usage and licensing is done entirely through the API, so a user never has to leave the ISV application to gain access to or increase access to any Web service within the StrikeIron Marketplace.

--"Invoke thru" model compensates ISV for every transaction that comes through their customized WSDL.

--Customized WSDL model provides usage tracking for individual Web services across multiple ISV applications enabling operational views into customer behavior usage for the ISV.

--Provides for ISV-built niche solutions that can leverage one, several, or all of the Web services from the StrikeIron Web Services Marketplace.

--Provides a consistent mechanism and interface for ISVs regardless of Web service(s) being integrated, extending multiple applications with a normalized interface to multiple Web services from multiple publishers from a single source.

"StrikeIron has already delivered and continues to provide a comprehensive set of trusted and reliable Web services to its user base through its network of third-party Web services publishers," said Bob Brauer, president and CEO of StrikeIron. "Now, any solution provider can easily bring the benefits of our Marketplace of Web Services directly into the hands of the business user, leveraging StrikeIron's sophisticated Web services commercialization platform and its intuitive Web services Marketplace API."

About StrikeIron

Based in Research Triangle Park, NC, StrikeIron, Inc. is the leader in Web services commercialization with its breakthrough StrikeIron Web Services Business Network (WSBizNet). WSBizNet includes the premier StrikeIron Web Services Marketplace as the central ecommerce location for anyone to easily buy and sell Web services. The StrikeIron Web Services Marketplace provides the most reliable and trusted commercial Web services available in the market across the broadest spectrum of business needs. The Aurora Funds, Inc. and NC IDEA provided funding for StrikeIron after recognizing the significant opportunity presented by Web services and this unique management team. For more information, visit www.strikeiron.com.

StrikeIron, Web Services Business Network, WSBizNet, StrikeIron Web Services Marketplace, StrikeIron Marketplace Powered, and Web Services Marketplace are trademarks of StrikeIron, Inc. All other brands or product names are the property of their respective holders.