MKS Brings Innovative Process and Workflow Support to Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003.

WATERLOO, Ontario -- MKS Inc. (TSX:MKX), a leading provider of enterprise software configuration management (ESCM) solutions for the Global 1000, today announced an expanded integration into Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003 bringing the powerful capabilities of MKS Integrity Manager(R), MKS's process and workflow solution, directly to the developer's desktop.

Using the MKS Integrity Manager "Worktray," developers may receive work assignments (tasks), run queries, review, and update their work without ever stepping outside of the Visual Studio .NET integrated development environment (IDE). All software changes are easily linked to approved development tasks, providing complete traceability of all development work, significantly aiding any compliance initiatives and IT audit-ability within the organization.

"IT organizations who have a strategic investment in Microsoft Visual Studio .NET and Microsoft .NET Framework-based programming environments, and who are seeking to reach higher levels of process maturity or comply with regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley, will be delighted with this new capability," says David Martin, MKS vice president, Product Management. "MKS, as a premier member of the Microsoft Visual Studio Industry Partner (VSIP) program, already offers one of the most robust ESCM integrations on the market today into the .NET environment. Now, with our integrated workflow capabilities, developers can follow prescribed process with ease. In turn, project managers can trust that development work is properly resourced, and have immediate visibility through MKS Integrity Manager of work assignments and progress. We are proud to continue our track record of innovation and support for the .NET Framework."

"MKS's new MKS Integrity Manager Worktray facilitates collaboration and provides team coordination for Visual Studio .NET development projects. Microsoft is pleased that MKS has integrated this solution into Visual Studio as it provides our mutual customers a way to manage the entire application life cycle from within the IDE," said Prashant Sridharan, senior product manager in the .NET Developer Product Management Group at Microsoft Corp. "The MKS Integrity Manager Worktray creates an audit trail of who is working on what code and makes requirements, test cases, plans and results available to all team members, significantly enhancing project visibility."

To register for a Webinar entitled, "Managing .NET Development More Effectively with MKS's Process Integration into Visual Studio," being held on November 4 at 1:00 p.m. EST, please visit the following link at http://www.mks.com/go/processforvsnet.

Availability

Integration between MKS Integrity Manager 4.6, with Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003, is available today. Existing customers on maintenance may obtain the integration from the MKS Customer Community at: http://www.mks.com/community/index_i.jsp, or by contacting MKS Customer Care at: [e-mail].

About MKS

MKS is the preeminent provider of enterprise technology management solutions for the Global 1000. Our solutions let companies manage the technology governing the enterprise by enabling all of the key steps in the technology lifecycle, from requirements capture and business process design to global development team collaboration, to metrics management and reporting to complete auditing of software and system change in support of IT governance initiatives. MKS solutions are distinguished for their speed of implementation and low total cost of ownership. Founded in 1984, MKS serves more than 10,000 customers in countries across the world. Whether our customers deploy MKS's enterprise solutions strategically on an enterprise scale, or leverage individual components to solve project-level challenges, our customers can use MKS's technology to better connect their business through flexible process, manage global development activity and protect their most critical business applications and software assets. More information about MKS can be found at http://www.mks.com, or by calling 1-800-265-2797 (US & Canada), [phone] (Germany), and [phone] (United Kingdom).

Copyright (C) 2004 MKS Inc. MKS, MKS Integrity Manager and MKS Toolkit are 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.