iXmatch Names Phil Soran to Board of Directors

XIOtech President/CEO Joins Web-based IT Software and Services Startup

MINNEAPOLIS, March 2 - iXmatch.com, one of Minnesota’s newest dot.com companies, today announced that Phil Soran, XIOtech founder, president and CEO, has joined the company’s board of directors. iXmatch.com is an Internet startup that matches qualified independent information technology (IT) consultants with projects at leading corporations via its Web site www.ixmatch.com. By changing the model for finding IT consultants, companies can lower costs, shorten the hiring process and match the right person with the right skills to each project.

Soran’s experience with XIOtech - a designer, manufacturer and marketer of high performance, application-driven storage solutions - includes rapidly growing the startup, securing venture capital financing and recently merging it with Seagate Technologies for $360 million. “We’re excited to have Phil join our board of directors,” said Prakash Puram, president and chief executive officer, iXmatch.com. “His experience at XIOtech will be invaluable as we continue to realize and develop our business plan and pursue strategic opportunities. Moving forward, his knowledge of emerging technologies and the technology sector will bring us valuable insight.”

According to Soran, iXmatch.com’s matching software is revolutionizing the IT consultant marketplace. “iXmatch.com has a well-developed business plan that brings many efficiencies to the traditional model for finding independent IT consultants,” Soran said. “The company’s proprietary matching software engine enables hiring managers to narrow the search and quickly find the right IT consultant for the project. I’m excited to join iXmatch.com as they gain momentum and realize their tremendous potential.”

Soran is the founder, president and chief executive officer of XIOtech Corporation. He started XIOtech in 1995, after serving as executive vice president and general manager of the software division of Prodea Software - a developer of data warehousing and decision support applications. Prior to joining Prodea, Soran served as the general manager of the PC and network group with IBM.

iXmatch.com leverages Internet technology by efficiently locating, validating and deploying human resources. With a growing database of more than 3,000 independent IT consultants, iXmatch.com enables IT managers to shorten the consultant hiring process by matching project needs with the right IT consultants. The site also benefits consultants by matching their skills to the most challenging and financially-rewarding positions, while simultaneously offloading the more traditional marketing, billing and administrative tasks.

About iXmatch
iXmatch enables corporations to locate and engage independent information technology consultants efficiently in real-time from the company’s validated consultant database using a proprietary validation, matching and ranking software engine. The software dynamically matches consultants’ skills with available IT projects and ranks the consultants according to their skills and experience. Consultants in iXmatch.com’s database have their skills independently verified and validated to ensure a right match every time.