Frost & Sullivan Honors Aspen Technology with 2004 Customer Value Enhancement Award.

BOSTON -- Frost & Sullivan recognized Aspen Technology (Nasdaq:AZPN) for its commitment to excellence and customer value in the enterprise optimization software market with the 2004 Customer Value Enhancement Award at last night's Frost & Sullivan awards banquet.

The Customer Value Enhancement Award is presented each year to the company that has demonstrated exceptional abilities in maintaining and expanding its customer base within its industry. The company's innovative sales, marketing, customer acquisition, and value-creation strategies set it apart from its competitors.

"AspenTech has a unique understanding of the special requirements of business optimization for the process industries. Its ability to address the challenges that its customers face with solutions that deliver compelling value propositions give it a clear competitive advantage," says Frost & Sullivan team leader Sathyajit Rao.

AspenTech is able to provide the critical applications and services that are needed both to build and to run process manufacturing operations at their highest possible level of profitability. Its products are founded on its core competency in the area of modeling complex manufacturing processes, which is especially critical in the process industries. The company's applications allow customers to use the same information and models as they optimize both the design and the operation of their manufacturing plants.

AspenTech has consistently been the market innovator in process simulation & optimization, manufacturing execution systems, and supply chain solutions for the process industries. The company's track record of successful implementations has earned it a reputation for delivering tangible benefits to its customers' bottom line. This has led to increasing usage by leading global oil & gas, petroleum, chemical and pharmaceutical companies, and has enabled AspenTech to make inroads into emerging markets such as China and the Middle East.

The company has now established a leadership position in the market for vertical industry solutions that enable process manufacturers to manage and optimize their operations. These solutions fill a gap that currently exists between the business systems that record historical financial performance and the plant systems that control the second-by-second process operations at each facility. This market space is increasingly being referred to by the name Enterprise Operations Management (EOM).

AspenTech's solutions are unmatched in the EOM market in their ability to provide operating personnel a way to visualize and analyze their operations from a business perspective, and then translate business decisions into specific actions. The net result is that when a business variance occurs, personnel immediately know when it occurs and why it occurs. More importantly they can make decisions to optimize the future profitability of their business.

"AspenTech's strong installed base and proven ability to consistently understand and meet customer requirements with enterprise-wide solutions position it well for continued, sustainable growth in the future," concludes Rao.

Held in Boston, the Frost & Sullivan awards banquet honored world-class companies for outstanding performance and achievements in customer care. An annual event, the banquet recognized the quality and merit of distinguished individuals and companies.

About AspenTech

Aspen Technology, Inc. provides industry-leading software and implementation services that enable process companies to increase efficiency and profitability. AspenTech's engineering product line is used to design and improve plants and processes, maximizing returns throughout an asset's operating life. Its manufacturing/supply chain product line allows companies to increase margins in their plants and supply chains, by managing customer demand, optimizing production, and streamlining the delivery of finished products. These two offerings are combined to create solutions for enterprise operations management (EOM), integrated enterprise-wide systems that provide process manufacturers with the capability to dramatically improve their operating performance. AspenTech has delivered outstanding value to over 1,500 leading process industry companies including Aventis, Bayer, BASF, BP, ChevronTexaco, Dow Chemical, DuPont, ExxonMobil, Fluor, GlaxoSmithKline, Shell, and Total. For more information about the customer value provided by AspenTech's solutions, visit www.aspentech.com/customers.

About Frost & Sullivan

Founded in 1961, Frost & Sullivan is recognized as a global leader in growth consulting. Frost & Sullivan Awards are presented to companies that demonstrate excellence in their industry, commending the diligence, commitment, and innovative business strategies required to advance in the global marketplace. Frost & Sullivan rigorously analyzes specific criteria to determine award recipients in a vast variety of market industries and landscapes. For further information, visit www.frost.com.