Cisco Finds New Path Towards Collaboration

Moving into adjacent markets takes time – more than people might expect – in the news items below, Cisco continues to transition from unified communications into a more traditional collaboration space. What’s next? I imagine a more definitive move in the Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0 arena that leverages WebEx Connect as another SaaS/cloud option.

Cisco Announces Intent to Acquire PostPath

Why PostPath you ask? ………….The company extends Cisco’s Collaboration Platform through a Linux-based email, calendaring and collaboration software solution.  These additions clearly augment Cisco’s Saas based WebEx Connect Collaboration Platform which currently includes- Instant Messaging, Wikis, Web 2.0 applications, Teamspaces and Document Sharing. 

In addition, PostPath’s email and calendaring software has:
--native compatibility with Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Exchange.
--compatibility with mobile clients such as Blackberry and ActiveSync.

Upon the closing of the acquisition, PostPath is expected to become part of Cisco’s Collaboration Software Group and integrated with WebEx Connect and Cisco’s Unified Communications portfolios.

Take a closer listen to the announcement and details of the acquisition on the Cisco Analyst Relations Podcast website:
http://www.cisco.com/go/arpodcasts

Analyst Relations

Building upon its commitment to provide a comprehensive collaboration portfolio, Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) today announced its intent to acquire privately held PostPath, Inc., a provider of innovative email and calendaring software. Based in Mountain View, Calif. with additional development operations in Sofia, Bulgaria, PostPath will enhance the existing email and calendaring capabilities of Cisco's WebEx Connect collaboration platform.

In today's fast-paced business environment, effective, adaptive collaboration is critical to creating and sustaining a competitive advantage. With PostPath's software, Cisco will extend the e-mail and calendar functionality of its flexible software-as-a-service (SaaS)-based collaborative platform that includes instant messaging, voice, video, data, document management and Web 2.0 applications. This combination will enable customers to use collaboration to accelerate business processes, within and between businesses.

Cisco Announces Definitive Agreement to Acquire PostPath

Comments

[Will Flavell]

Good Morning Mike,

Great posts. Seems like you are writing a lot today on the Cisco WebEx Connect partner program. They are really trying to build project and document management in. They must be looking at a variety of Saas-model services right now.

I was wondering if you had heard about a new Saas-model document storage and collaboration tool called DocLanding, http://www.doclanding.com. I think that you would really like it. It is geared towards small businesses. It offers some cool security and sharing features.
It is also HIPPA and SEC complaint, so users can easily share sensitive documents.
It has on-the-fly document viewing, so you can see files, without having their programs.
Check out a free account for up to 256MB.

Thanks and keep up the great posts.
Will