Aspect Enterprise Solutions, a provider of Cloud-based multi-commodity data, trading and risk management (ETRM/CTRM) solutions is leading a move toward greater transparency in the CTRM software business by openly publishing its pricing and functionality structure. The London-based firm believes it is the first vendor in the industry to do so.

Following the example set by Salesforce.com, Aspect reveals full details of its software editions and pay-as-you-go prices on its Web site. The move is set to shake up a business traditionally characterized by hidden pricing, drawn out implementations and cost overruns.

Aspect’s products and pricing can be found on its website here http://www.aspectenterprise.com/solutions/editions_pricing.php. Customers can start accessing Aspect applications for as little as $35 per month for market data and analytics on mobile devices. As the functionality expands to trading, risk and operations, per-month user fees start at $900 and increase with functionality, with users paying only for what they need.

“CTRM implementations can often be like major construction projects, taking a lot longer than expected and costing a lot more than budgeted. At Aspect we’ve proved time and time again that it doesn’t have to be that way and that’s why we’re not afraid to be open about our pricing,” says the company’s CEO Steve Hughes.

Built on the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) architecture, all of Aspect’s applications are delivered in the Cloud. Their inherent scalability and the speed with which they can be deployed contrasts dramatically with traditional software systems which typically take a year or more to implement and which fail to effectively scale downwards to support smaller trading operations.

Even in a large scale fully end-to-end implementation, key elements of the company’s flagship AspectCTRM trade/risk solution, including deal capture and risk analysis, can be in place, working and delivering value within a matter of days. Successive additional elements then go live as the progress of integration projects allows.

“SaaS applications are now the preferred choice for many businesses because of their much reduced maintenance and infrastructure demands, and their pay-as-you-go pricing,” adds Hughes. “It’s now routine to go online for banking, accountancy, customer relationship management (CRM) and many other line of business applications and Aspect is actively demonstrating the Cloud model applies to trading and risk too.”