The new service, called JDe.sourcing, will be hosted by MCI WorldCom in its UUhost Data Center facilities. J.D. Edwards will manage the implementation and maintenance of the software, including-for the first time-apps from other vendors. JDe.sourcing will provide a variety of applications, including J.D. Edwards' own ERP and supply-chain applications, customer-relationship management software from Siebel Systems Inc., and procurement software from Ariba Inc.

The service is in testing and will be generally available this spring. It will be aimed primarily at manufacturers with $100 million to $500 million in annual revenue, says Gayle Sheppard, VP of the new ASP division. She hopes to attract companies such as Spyder Active Sports Inc. in Boulder, Colo., which uses J.D. Edwards' OneWorld suite as a hosted service from Prentice Technologies Inc.

However, Kevin Smith, IS manager at Spyder, prefers working with an independent ASP. "There's an advantage in going through a third party," Smith says. "They act as an advocate for us in dealing with J.D. Edwards."

J.D. Edwards also expanded its position in the business-to-business E-commerce market by agreeing to resell TradEx Technologies Inc.'s TradEx Commerce Center, an application that helps companies build business-to-business trading exchanges on the Web. J.D. Edwards also has reseller agreements with Siebel and Ariba. In addition to reselling the TradEx suite, the company plans to deploy the applications itself to develop and operate several public trading exchanges. It plans to unveil those exchanges later this year.