Two small M&A deals this morning.
First, apparently Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO, news, filings) isn’t solely downsizing itself at the moment. The equipment giant took time out from managing all those pink slips and refocusing its product catalog to do a little M&A. They will be acquiring the AXIOSS software assets and the talent behind them, currently owned by the UK subsidiary of Comptel. Cisco will integrate the fulfillment software assets into its network and service management technology. The acquisition will cost Cisco $31M, and is expected to close by the end of next month.
Second, Skype has agreed to purchase GroupMe, which provides mobile group messaging services and was founded just last year at the Techcrunch Disrupt Hackathon. The deal suggests that Skype intends to beef up its text messaging capabilities, with an eye toward better serving the mobile market. Earlier this year they also bought Qik. Skype on smartphones has had the potential to really shake things up, but the details of the user experience are everything and they are clearly still looking for the right ingredients. Still pending, obviously, is MicroSoft’s purchase of Skype itself, the implications of which are still not clear.
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Categories: Mergers and Acquisitions · Software · Telecom Equipment · VoIP
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fyi
now that Skype is owned by Microsoft, I guess MS is trying to get their own BBM on the windows phones, like Apple with its new iMessage.
GroupMe acquisition by Skype is a wake up call for Cisco & others to develop more advanced group messaging solutions for enterprise UC customers.
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Webex from CISCO beats GoToMeeting, Skype and ooVoo for group video chats.
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