Nov 13th 1999: Corio launched a new portfolio of applications and an implementation partner channel this week, as well as closing a new $30m funding round that included stakes by Concentric, Siebel and Sun.

Corio's new, modular suite of business applications integrates products from Broadvision, Cognos and Commerce One alongside its original Peoplesoft offering, together with Siebel, which it introduced last month.

According to founder Jonathan Lee, the latest announcements mark Corio's evolution into the first "second-generation ASP," offering "an integrated footprint of applications that span the entire enterprise and value chain."

Branded the Corio Intelligent Enterprise, the pre-integrated portfolio allows customers to choose any combination of single or multiple applications. Corio has developed an integration framework, called Orion, based on application integration tools from Active Software. Orion simplifies integration between the various applications and with external systems. It also offers simplified user access including single sign-on capabilities using technology from Netegrity.

Having added customer relationship management applications from Siebel Systems last month, Corio's new portfolio introduces three more leading brands to complement its original Peoplesoft suite of financials, manufacturing and human resources apps.

The ASP becomes the first to host Cognos business intelligence tools. Broadvision, already offered by other leading ASPs, contributes its high-end commerce website platform. Commerce One adds its BuySite electronic purchasing application. Hosting BuySite will enable Corio to aggregate its customers' buying power within the Commerce One trading network, the companies noted.

Corio also introduced a scheme to certify implementation partners, and named five charter members of the programme, including leading integrator Cambridge Technology Partners. Certified systems integrators will be trained to use Corio's own methodology and will implement solutions on a fixed-scope, fixed-time basis.

Concentric Network, which in August became the preferred hosting partner for the Redwood City CA-based ASP, announced it had contributed a $5m investment to Corio's Series C funding round, which raised $30m in total.

Other participants included Siebel Systems, Sun Microsystems and several of the ASP's existing venture capital investors, including its first backer Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers. The Series C round was led by Lehman Brothers Venture Partners. Peoplesoft is an investor in Corio from an earlier round.