CrystalTech Web Hosting Prepares for .NET 3.5 With Beta Offer

July 25, 2007; 04:11 AM

CrystalTech Web Hosting™, a Newtek Business Services™ company (NASDAQ: NEWT) and a leading provider of Windows web hosting, announced the impending release of a new beta hosting plan featuring the latest version of Microsoft's .NET framework, version 3.5.

While the upcoming release of Microsoft's .NET framework contains several bug fixes and updates (so-called "red bits"), it also brings a number of new assemblies and technologies (so called "green bits") that net developers have been waiting to get their hands on. These green bits include AJAX, LINQ for both C# and VB, and enhancements to the tool sets that will help ease building applications using Windows Presentation Foundation, Windows Workflow Foundation and Windows Communication Foundation.

"CrystalTech prides itself as one of the premiere Microsoft partners specializing in Windows web hosting," said Robert Cichon, CrystalTech President. "We have been part of the Beta program with Microsoft and .NET since day one, and we were one of the first, if not THE first, to have a full-fledged web site management application based on the .NET framework. Our WebControlCenter™ is a prime example of the reliability, stability and security you can get when using the .NET framework."

As with previous beta hosting plans CrystalTech offered, the plan based on .NET 3.5 will be free for a limited time. The Plan will offer enough disk space and bandwidth so that early adopters can get running on .NET 3.5 as quickly as possible. In addition, CrystalTech is considering offering .NET 3.5 on Windows Server 2008 and IIS7 as a separate beta Plan. "The future is now," continued Cichon. "Even though Microsoft is still a few months away from having a release to market of its next generation server OS and platform, there's no reason people can't start seeing what is on the horizon."

"This is a great way for those who are unfamiliar with our reputation for providing first-rate hosting solutions with the highest levels of service and support to try us out," added Cichon. "CrystalTech was founded by developers and for developers. Catering to that market and following that business plan has served us well for the past ten years; there's no reason to stop now," Said Cichon. CrystalTech will release the beta plan for public consumption by the end of July.

About CrystalTech Web Hosting, Inc.
A wholly owned subsidiary of Newtek Business Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: NEWT), CrystalTech Web Hosting, Inc. is one of the largest Windows-based web hosting companies in the world, hosting customers in over 100 countries, ranging from small businesses to Fortune 100 corporations. CrystalTech is responsible for hundreds of millions of visits each day on the Internet and uses a state-of-the-art data center that includes redundancy throughout core systems like power, air conditioning, network connectivity, network transportation, as well as a secured environment for their network operations center. For more information about CrystalTech, please contact 877-323-4678 or visit www.crystaltech.com.

About Newtek Business Services, Inc.
Newtek Business Services, Inc. (www.newtekbusinessservices.com) is a direct distributor to the small to medium-sized business market under the Newtek ™ brand. According to the SBA, there are over 25.8 million small businesses in the United States, which in total represent 99.7% of all employer firms, generate 60 to 80% of all new jobs annually and create more than 50% of non-farm private GDP. Since 1999, Newtek has helped these business owners realize their potential by providing them with the essential tools needed to manage and grow their businesses. Newtek focuses on providing its 75,000 customers with access to financial, management and technological resources that enable them to better grow and compete in today's marketplace.

Newtek's products and services include:
- Business Lending: Business loans to start up, acquire, or expand a business
- Electronic Payment Processing: Credit card, debit card, check conversion, and ACH solutions
- Insurance Services: Nationwide commercial and personal lines of insurance
- Outsourced Digital Bookkeeping: Bookkeeping and recordkeeping at a fraction of the cost of in-house staff
- Web Hosting: Full service web host including domain registration and online shopping cart tools
- Web Design and Development: Customized web design and development services for a powerful web presence
- Tax Preparation and Advisory Services: Expert tax planning and consultation for your business
- Data Backup, Storage and Retrieval: Fast, secure, off-site data backup, storage and retrieval
- Business Plan Preparation: Professional business plan assistance providing a roadmap for success
- Payroll: Payroll management processing and employee tax filing