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FreeCRM Leverages RatchetSoft to Integrate Contact Management Data Directly into Applications

RatchetSoft’s Ratchet-X enhances FreeCRM.com by seamlessly integrating StrikeIron’s business data services

San Francisco and Research Triangle Park, NC-MARCH 28, 2006 – FreeCRM.com, the world’s largest on-demand service provider for customer relationship management software announced today it has partnered with RatchetSoft to deliver integrated web services. By utilizing Ratchet-X, FreeCRM.com users can link their application screens directly to any web service without requiring programming or changes to FreeCRM.com.

The first release related to this partnership is the integration of FreeCRM.com with RatchetSoft’s Contact Xtend. Contact Xtend is a free Ratchet-X plug-in that allows FreeCRM.com users to access a wealth of business services offered through the StrikeIron Web Services Marketplace. These services include: address and email verification, residential, business and reverse phone number look-ups, national do not call screening and location mapping services. Future releases will allow FreeCRM.com users to integrate virtually any service including a customer’s internal web services.

“Value-added data services combined with our hosted CRM product allows our customers to take advantage of advanced data validation services in a seamless environment,” said Eric Stone, CEO of CRM ASP, Inc. “RatchetSoft’s Contact Xtend platform enables our customers to take advantage of advanced business data web services and provide a simple integration platform for our application. Without Ratchet-X, we would have to custom code each web service integration. That simply doesn’t scale.”

“Contact Xtend and FreeCRM.com allow business users to effortlessly add new capabilities that process and validate their CRM-related data,” said Joe Labbe, CEO of RatchetSoft. “Integrating popular applications such as FreeCRM.com with StrikeIron’s business grade Web Service Marketplace is the kind of synergistic value-add we envisioned when we created Ratchet-X.”

“Our Web Service Marketplace’s unified access and commerce interfaces allow such integrations to be implemented in record time,” said Bob Brauer, president and CEO of StrikeIron. “We’re delighted to see this type of CRM integration offered to all levels of business users.”

Contact Xtend is a free Ratchet-X plug-in that works with both FreeCRM.com’s Free and Professional versions. Contact Xtend is configured to access StrikeIron services via a free trial account which can be upgraded to monthly, annual or project-based subscriptions.

About FreeCRM

FreeCRM.com provides simple-to-use and powerful CRM tools in a hosted, on-demand environment. Providing contact management, lead tracking, customer support, email marketing, call automation and document sharing, group calendaring and more, FreeCRM.com is smart groupware for small and medium-sized businesses everywhere.

About RatchetSoft

RatchetSoft, LLC is dedicated to the empowerment of software users by giving them greater control over systems integration. Unlike portal or service aggregation solutions that require users learn and access data via alternative user interfaces, RatchetSoft products and services are all about delivering information at the point of need - directly within the applications people use everyday. For more information, visit www.ratchetsoft.com

About StrikeIron

StrikeIron is the leader in providing innovative solutions for delivering data over the emerging Internet. The company’s innovative Web Services Marketplace provides a technology platform, micro-transaction management and a consistent interface across many XML-based Web services from multiple, diverse sources. This allows business users, application developers and enterprise IT professionals to customize and integrate external data sources and additional external functionality into enterprise, Web, and composite applications. Currently, StrikeIron provides over 100 live data sources and business functions from organizations such as Cortera, D&B, Gale, MapQuest, Midnight Trader, Tax Data Systems, The Sports Network, and Zacks.

StrikeIron also offers IronCloud™, the only comprehensive Web services delivery platform that opens up new channels for data distribution and consumption through Web Services. Enterprises of all sizes can now reduce the cost and complexity of managing the challenges of data distribution which include leveraging an existing external hardware and software architecture, controlling and metering access and usage, external monitoring for 24x7 reliability, full usage analytics, as well as multiple authentication scenarios and instead concentrate their focus on making information easier for partners, customers, and distributed business units to access and use. StrikeIron delivers value to over 1,500 customers and partners such as Avaya, BEA, Delivery.com, IBM, Honda Europe, D&B, Siemens, Nike, Swarovski, ShoeBuy, and Exclusive Resorts. For more information, visit www.strikeiron.com.

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Media Contacts:  
Jane Foreman
StrikeIron, Inc.
(919) 467-4545 x112
jane.foreman@strikeiron.com
Kristi Lee
Crossroads Public Relations 
(919) 270-8054
klee@crossroadspr.com

Media Contacts:  
Suzanne Lundial
FreeCRM
(415) 762-1158
Suzanne@freecrm.com
Joe Labbe
RatchetSoft, LLC
(516) 620-1197 x711
jlabbe@ratchetsoft.com
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