Cisco has agreed to purchase the assets and technology of ExtendMedia, a Newton, MA-based provider of software-based content management systems (CMS). Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but the acquisition is expected to be complete in the first half of Cisco’s fiscal year 2011.
With the majority of its employees based in Toronto, Canada, ExtendMedia will support Cisco in its efforts to help service providers deliver multiscreen offerings as the market transitions to delivering media via IP. This allows content providers to manage and deliver video to any device while providing a rich user experience, according to both companies.
Enrique Rodriguez, senior vice president and general manager, of Cisco’s service provider video technology group, said the acquisition would strengthen Cisco’s position in the delivery of IP video services by enabling service providers to provide a more interactive and personal experience and to improve quality for viewing on a variety of screens.
Once the acquisition is complete, the majority of the ExtendMedia team will be incorporated into Cisco's service provider video technology group. The ExtendMedia sales and professional services teams will integrate into the Cisco sales and advanced services organizations.
As for the technology, ExtendMedia’s CMS software will be tightly integrated with Cisco’s current IP video offerings, providing a new foundation for Cisco’s next-generation video architecture. As a combined company, Cisco and ExtendMedia will enable service providers to deploy an end-to-end video architecture that delivers content over any network, on any device.
Cisco said it chose ExtendMedia because it has demonstrated success with key Tier-1 service providers. Cisco has developed a successful working relationship with ExtendMedia over the past two years and expects seamless integration with existing engineering teams.
