First drag and drop solution to integrate Web services directly into Microsoft Excel  
     
  Research Triangle Park, N.C. – Feb. 22 2005 – StrikeIron® Inc., developer of the innovative StrikeIron Web Services Business Network™ (WSBizNet™) that simplifies working with Web services announced the general availability of StrikeIron OnDemand Web Services for Microsoft Excel. This add-in product connects Microsoft Excel users to the on-demand world of Web services and enables a larger desktop market to take advantage of Web services.

“Today’s business demands make it essential to access timely data for use in desktop as well as traditional applications,” says Sandra Rogers, Program Director for SOA and Web services research at IDC. “StrikeIron’s offering facilitates the use of Web services within Microsoft Excel, helping reduce the manual steps involved in accessing data content.“

“StrikeIron’s product is a great example of the power that comes from building connected systems with Web services," said Dave Mendlen, director of Web services marketing for Microsoft Corp. "Connecting remote systems in a smart client like Excel combines the power of the desktop with the flexibility of Web services to give users richer, more responsive, and more productive access to information.”

“StrikeIron’s OnDemand Web Services for Excel provides our users quick and easy access to internal Web services,” said Régis Loumont, IT Manager for Honda Motor Europe (South). “Our users can now take advantage of access to real-time data without re-writing applications which will save our teams significant time and money.”

StrikeIron OnDemand makes it possible to simply “drag-and-drop” Web services and access data from multiple sources to create sophisticated “live” spreadsheets and complete applications without extensive programming and integration from the I.T. department. Technical issues such as finding, understanding, accessing and integrating Web services into Excel are eliminated by OnDemand Web Services for Excel.

The product takes advantage of the StrikeIron Web Services Business Network and StrikeIron’s powerful underlying “dynamic invocation” technology that requires no compiling, no programming and no additional software. Key features and benefits include:

Ease of Use
OnDemand Web Services features easy drag-and-drop of Web services operations directly into Excel spreadsheets. The product includes automatic inclusion of cell labels for operations which are connected to the StrikeIron Knowledge Base for easier understanding of the Web service. In addition, users can control which input and output data fields are used as well as format cells, columns and rows accordingly. Users can also save and manage “Favorite” Web service definitions for future use, increasing productivity. Web service WSDLs can be saved locally in order for users to develop offline.

Data Management
Once a Web service has been dropped into Excel, any standard Excel calculation or function can then be applied to the data. In addition, Web services can be refreshed individually, all at once, at timed intervals, or in a specific order. For security purposes, StrikeIron has included an automatic Invisible Link option to hide data upon closing the workbook to prevent viewing by unauthorized users.

Search Capabilities
OnDemand Web Services for Excel has built-in search access to over 1000 Web services through the StrikeIron WSBizNet. In addition, users can search internal and external UDDI directories thus allowing the integration of both external and internal data.

Extensibility
StrikeIron has built OnDemand API access into OnDemand Web Services for Excel in order for users to build on top of the functionality. The product is completely integrated with the StrikeIron WSBizNet for enhanced search capabilities, Web Services Knowledge Base, Web Services Analyzer, and Premium Web Services.

“StrikeIron’s mission is to bring Web services to the masses and this solution allows us to deliver on that promise, making Web services easier to use and integrate with every day business operations,” said Bob Brauer, President and Co-founder of StrikeIron. “OnDemand Web Services for Excel provides organizations with the solution they need to rapidly create real-time business applications that deliver a clear return on investment, bringing real-time data to the desktop without any required programming knowledge.”

OnDemand Web Services for Microsoft Excel is available for a 30-day free trial. The product is also available for purchase at $99.95 for an annual subscription license or at $299.95 for a perpetual license. Downloads are available at www.strikeiron.com/htmls/ondemand.aspx.

 
     
  About StrikeIron
Based in Research Triangle Park, NC, StrikeIron®, Inc. is pioneering a break-through with the StrikeIron Web Services Business Network™ (WSBizNet™) that greatly simplifies working with Web services and enables broader adoption by business users and developers. WSBizNet is an innovative integrated set of on-demand services and easier-to-use graphical tools to simplify publishing, finding, understanding, and utilizing Web services for easier and faster development of on-demand applications. The Aurora Funds, Inc. 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.

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

Windows, MS Excel and all related Microsoft software and logos are registered trademarks, property of Microsoft. 
  
      
Media Contacts:  
Jane Foreman
StrikeIron, Inc.
(919) 405-7010
news@strikeiron.com Kristi Lee
SRK Communications
(919) 754-9511
kristi@srkcommunications.com
 
 

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