Another year of record sales and profits marked the 10th anniversary year for Aspect Enterprise Solutions (AES) in 2010. Its Web-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) commodity trading and risk management platform is being adopted in every region of the world as an affordable, flexible alternative to legacy software systems.
AES closed its fourth consecutive record year delivering 16 straight profitable quarters. On the back of substantial revenue growth, profits grew by 24% to $2.4M from $1.9M in 2009. AES’ flagship product AspectCTRM consistently gained new business growing by 28% against a market average of around 8%, with its market data and analytics portal AspectDSC following with a 5% gain.
In the face of a tough market, AES’ AspectCTRM continued its dominance in the mid-market with wins throughout the year in every corner of the world, including: OiLive (Singapore/Korea), Petro-Diamond (Singapore/Japan) S.E.T. Select Energy (Germany), Core Petroleum (U.S.), Integral Petroleum (Geneva/Moscow) and Taleveras (West Africa).
According to AES President and CEO Steve Hughes, “Our clients cite quick deployment and lower cost structure as key reasons for choosing AspectCTRM. As trading diversifies at these companies and trade volumes grow – advanced technology is needed to capture trading risk and exposures.”
Hughes added, “The mid-market has the same challenges as larger trading firms, and AspectCTRM gives them a solution to compete with the same feature advantages that the traditional software solutions deliver – but at a much lower cost, with quick ramp up and any-to-many scalability.”
AES’ SaaS delivery model is very much an advantage for companies with little or no IT resources and a budget focused on maximizing trades and operational efficiencies, not on deploying and maintaining software. AspectCTRM is not replacing systems, it’s replacing spreadsheets and inefficient processes as companies look to expand, profit, comply with regulations, and compete for credit with banks.
The year started with a nod from leading analyst group Gartner recognizing AES in its coveted Magic Quadrant For Energy Trading And Risk Management Platforms. Interest remained high for bunker data, metals/steel content and real-time oil data on iPhone ®, BlackBerry®, and other smart phone devices via AspectDSC, its decision support center for traders.
“As we look ahead, 2011 is already off to a great start with a new, multi-year CTRM Standard Edition (SE) subscription from a bulk buyer and terminal operator in West Africa,” says Hughes.
