New Delhi: Corio Inc (www.corio.com), a leading enterprise application service provider, and Sierra Atlantic (www.SierraAtlantic.com), an application networks company, have announced that they have extended their strategic alliance.

Corio and Sierra Atlantic originally formed their alliance two years ago to deliver enterprise applications management through an integrated offshore model, leveraging Sierra Atlantic''s Application Management Services (AMS) Centre of Excellence.

The relationship is now extended through Sierra Atlantic''s appointment as a Certified Corio Applications on Demand Partner. Corio Applications on Demand is an end-to-end enterprise application solution available for a fixed monthly fee.

Companies today seek to reduce the substantial cost, time and skilled resources required to support enterprise applications. Corio Applications on Demand is a ''pay-as-you-go'' utility-like service to deliver leading enterprise applications from independent software vendors.

Customers are able to scale the service, as project needs evolve, defer expensive hardware and software costs and accelerate enterprise application projects. Corio Applications on Demand helps IT organisations reduce operational costs and become more efficient.

Software outsourcing offshore is transforming IT organisations in ways similar to how contract manufacturing transformed the high technology industry. At the epicentre of Sierra Atlantic''s engineering operations is its India Development Centre (IDC) located in Hyderabad application solution, India.

With a dedicated satellite link to Sierra Atlantic''s Silicon Valley headquarters, the AMS Centre of Excellence supports complex enterprise application management locally with the highest quality, lowest cost resources offshore. This combination enables extremely cost-effective solutions and significant project savings. As a Certified Corio Applications on Demand Partner Sierra Atlantic supports the Corio Transition, Corio OnSite and Corio Full Service delivery models.

"We are very pleased to extend our relationship with Corio by becoming a certified Corio Applications on Demand Partner," says Marc Hebert, executive vice-president at Sierra Atlantic. "The combination of ''pay-as-you- go'' utility computing with our integrated offshore model provides high-quality, reliable services to our joint customers at dramatically low costs."

"On-demand services help IT organisations reduce costs and become more efficient," says John Ottman, executive vice-president of Worldwide Markets at Corio. "Sierra Atlantic delivers expert resources through an integrated offshore model further reducing the cost of enterprise application management."