Leading SCM and Requirements Management Authors Steve Berczuk and Karl Wiegers Join MKS for On-Line Thought Leadership Series on Software Development Best Practices.

WATERLOO, Ontario -- MKS Inc. (TSX:MKX) is proud to present its upcoming Thought-Leadership Series on Software Development Best Practices, featuring leading SCM and requirements managements experts including Steve Berczuk, co-author of "Software Configuration Management Patterns: Effective Teamwork, Practical Integration," and Karl Wiegers, author of "Software Requirements, 2nd Edition."

Beginning August 10, the Series will delve into some of the hottest topics in software development today, including requirements management, agile software development, SCM patterns and use cases and the use of dashboards for application development management. Beginning August 16, MKS will also host a second Series on the vital role IT plays in enabling Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. All presentations will be hosted on-line via Webinar for easy desktop access.

The MKS Thought-Leadership Series on Software Development Best Practices features the following line-up of presentations:

August 10 -The Quest for Quality Requirements featuring Karl Wiegers, Principal Consultant, Process Impact and author of "Software Requirements, 2nd Edition"

This presentation explores the software requirements domain, beginning with definitions of three levels of requirements and clarification of the subdomains of requirements engineering. Characteristics of high-quality software requirements are described, along with suggestions for writing high-quality requirements. More than 15 recommended good practices for improving the software requirements engineering processes on your projects will be discussed.

August 17 - Utilizing Use Cases for the Implementation of Application Lifecycle Management Processes, featuring Paul Bowden, Technical Consultant, MKS Systems Ltd.

The technique of Use Cases provides a powerful tool to elicit and document stakeholder requirements. While typically used in a traditional development context, use cases can be deployed with good effect when implementing an application lifecycle management (ALM) process for the development, deployment and maintenance of enterprise applications. This session describes the technique and gives examples of its use in the planning and deployment of ALM processes.

August 17 - From Requirements Through Deployment: Application Lifecycle Management with the MKS Integrity Suite(TM)

A live demonstration for IT organizations looking to ensure full traceability and audit-ability of all change, enhance global development team productivity and increase software quality, MKS offers complete coverage of the application lifecycle from requirements through deployment via a single solution built on a single architecture.

August 24 - Best Practices for Agile SCM Environments, featuring Steve Berczuk from Iron Mountain, and co-author of "Software Configuration Management Patterns: Effective Teamwork, Practical Integration"

One of the most common roadblocks to effective team software development is inappropriate or ineffective configuration management practices. Developers cannot easily create workspaces, code with errors is checked in, slowing down other team members, and integration takes a long time at the end of the project. This session will show how to create an effective development environment that allows for rapid change by using SCM patterns as part of appropriate build, version management and testing practices.

August 31 - Demystifying the Management Dashboard, featuring Jim Winder, Principal Partner, iTegrity Group, LLC 

Managing projects through the software development lifecycle depends on making timely decisions based on current information. In this session, we will see how a management dashboard presents value-based information to relevant roles in an easily accessible location. The session will include a live demonstration of the creation of a management dashboard.

The MKS Thought-Leadership Series on IT and Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance features the following line up of presentations:

August 16 - A Simplified Model for SOX/COBIT(R) Compliance, featuring Dr. Don Sanders of Sanders-McNeese, a consulting firm for process development and compliance strategies

This presentation will look briefly at the emergence of Sarbanes-Oxley and show why it has recently prompted a flurry of activity in IT departments. Critically, the presentation will examine the emerging role of the PCAOB (Public Company Accounting Oversight Board) and why recent guidance from the PCAOB is changing the way IT departments need to look at their compliance priorities. The presentation will then move on to an examination of the COBIT framework and show how it can be used to implement essential controls.

August 25 - Making Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance Easier with COBIT and Application Lifecycle Management featuring Lou Boudreau, Application Engineer, MKS Inc.

This session will begin by reviewing what Sarbanes-Oxley is, what it means to you and why the COBIT process methodology is becoming a recommended framework for tightening IT controls. Mr. Boudreau will explain how MKS's process-centric application lifecycle management solution can make compliance easier - aligning MKS's functionality to six key COBIT processes. See how MKS can help answer the tough questions that Sarbanes-Oxley poses for IT.

For additional details and to register for any of the sessions, please visit MKS at: http://www.mks.com/webinarseriesaugust. Recordings of these Webinars will also be made available in the Webinar Archives area of the Events section on mks.com.

About MKS

MKS is the preeminent provider of enterprise technology management solutions for the global 1000. MKS's solution spans the application lifecycle from requirements management, through application development, to server deployment providing customers with greater visibility over software development activities, enhanced development productivity and improved IT controls for regulatory compliance. MKS solutions are distinguished by their ease of implementation and low total cost of ownership. Founded in 1984, MKS serves more than 10,000 customers in countries across the world. Whether through deployment of MKS's enterprise solutions strategically on an enterprise scale, or by leveraging individual components to solve project-level challenges, our customers can use MKS's technology to better enable higher levels of process maturity, better manage global development activity and safeguard their most critical business applications and software assets. Under its widely known MKS Toolkit brand, MKS also provides UNIX-Windows co-existence and system administration that significantly cut development and administrative costs and reduce time to market, while enabling enhanced performance. More information about MKS can be found at http://www.mks.com, or by calling 1-800-265-2797 (US & Canada), [phone] (Germany), [phone] (United Kingdom) and 1-519-884-2251 (Rest of World).

Copyright (C) 2005 MKS Inc. MKS, MKS Integrity Suite and MKS Toolkit are trademarks or registered trademarks of MKS Inc. All other trademarks mentioned in this release are the property of their respective owners.

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made. When used in this document, the words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events and are subject to such risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause our actual results to differ materially from the statements made including those factors detailed from time to time in filings made by the Company with Canadian securities regulatory authorities. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated or expected. The Company does not intend and does not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

MKS Inc. (TSX:MKX)