In the past trading houses had only two options: spreadsheets or big-budget custom software development programs. Now SaaS-delivered solutions combined with Cloud Computing offer a real, cost-effective alternative. With the global economy, regulatory environment and credit shrinkage increasingly mandating formalized systems for even small trading companies, SaaS offers fast-start, turnkey solutions without up-front investment or resource demands.
Steve Hughes
President & CEO
Aspect Enterprise Solutions
Cloud-based applications — aka Software as a Service (SaaS) — have seen steady growth over the past few years and will continue to grow.
Gartner, Inc., Cloud Computing: The Next Generation of Outsourcing, Ben Pring, November 1, 2010

According to Technology Research Analyst Firm Gartner…

We are in the midst of a fundamental shift, as more enterprises start to use services enabled by cloud technologies. This will heavily impact IT services providers, who must now consider strategies for coping with profound changes in the marketplace or risk being left behind.
Cloud Computing:
The Next Generation Of Outsourcing
Ben Pring, November 1, 2010
According to Technology Research Analyst Firm Gartner…
Increasingly, hosted or SaaS-based solutions are gaining favor among end users as a means of reducing capital costs, deployment times and support overheads. While traditionally these solutions were preferred options for smaller end users or end users with limited functional requirements, as the functional capabilities of SaaS - or application service provider (ASP)-based deployments grow, the appeal to larger organizations will widen.
Magic Quadrant For Energy Trading And Risk Management Platforms
Keith Harrison and
David Furlonger
March 18, 2011
AspectCTRM was installed and working for us so fast – quickly enabling us to get a real-time understanding of profit and loss, exposures, price movements in the markets and how we can better manage risk.
Peter Malcom King
Business Development & Strategy Manager
Linetrale Oil Supply & Trading Company, Nigeria

News

Aspect Enterprise Solutions Earns Place In Leading Analyst Firm’s Magic Quadrant For Energy Trading And Risk Management Platforms

London, March 22, 2012

Aspect Enterprise Solutions, provider of multi-commodity trading and risk management Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications delivered in the Cloud, today announced it has been placed by Gartner, Inc. in the niche player quadrant of the Magic Quadrant for Energy Trading and Risk Management Platforms evaluation report published March 2012 by Keith Harrison and David Furlonger.

Gartner's Magic Quadrants place vendors based on their completeness of vision and their ability to execute that vision. This particular report details energy trading and risk management (ETRM) platforms which provide trading professionals with a means of optimizing the physical and financial positions of multiple commodities. This Magic Quadrant analyzes the leading providers of these platforms. To arrive at the report’s findings Gartner evaluated 14 leading ETRM vendors.

Aspect’s AspectCTRM multi commodity trading and risk management solution was recognized in the report. Based on Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) architecture and its Cloud delivery, it is a comprehensive trade capture, risk management, position keeping, P&L, physical operations and financial operations platform. The solution is flexible and can be fully integrated with 3 rd party providers, such as SAP, Oracle, JD Edwards and in-house developed software.

Acknowledging the Gartner placement, Aspect’s CEO Steve Hughes said it came at a pivotal time for the company. “We’ve recently closed another year of record growth and sales, having increased our trading and risk management customer base by 30% in what has been a relatively flat market.” Hughes went on to say, “We believe this recognition confirms that our approach in signing deals in the mid-market is the right one, and our continued enhancements of physical operations functionality will only solidify our position and make this year even better.”

Aspect’s Vice President of Marketing Brigette Gebhard said, “We appreciate that Gartner has named us a Niche Player. We consider this a testament to our flexible offerings, keen pricing, and rapid deployment time. These are core elements to our success, and will continue to be as we ramp up sales efforts and work to bring down costs and operational exposure for all market participants.”

About The Magic Quadrant

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Aspect Enterprise Solutions

Aspect Enterprise Solutions www.aspectenterprise.com is a leading global provider of Web-based, multi-commodity trading, risk management and data analysis applications with almost 500 customers and thousands of users in 90 countries. The Aspect family is the only integrated, all-in-one platform delivered as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) in the Cloud, which enables rapid deployment, controlled costs and immediate ROI. Applications include AspectCTRM®, a full-featured commodity trading and risk management enterprise suite for front, middle and back office. It’s available in three editions: Lite, Standard and Enterprise, seamlessly expanding in functionality according to the needs and budgets of clients. AspectDSC is the decision support center for traders offering oil, metals and agricultural market news, prices, futures and analytical tools on desktops and mobile devices including Apple® iPhone® and iPad®, and BlackBerry. AspectPM is the Price Manager solution which provides consolidation and support for the global oil price forecasting process and forward curve management.

Media Contact
Brigette Gebhard
Aspect Enterprise Solutions
+1 347-328-0396
bgebhard@aspectenterprise.com