Cisco to buy PostPath for $215mn

SAN JOSE, USA: Computer networking gear Cisco Systems Inc. announced on Wednesday that it will buy e-mail and calendaring software provider PostPath Inc. in a $215 million deal.

The new move on the part of the networking giant points to the company’s bid to expand its business-applications portfolio, feel observers.

The firm will become part of Cisco's WebEx Connect platform, which provides a platform for companies to hold meetings and other activities via the Web.

Cisco said in a statement that the purchase would help it extend the e-mail and calendar functionality of its software-as-a-service-based collaborative platform, which includes instant messaging, voice, video, data, document management and Web 2.0 applications.

In the words of Doug Dennerline, senior vice president, Collaboration Software Group, Cisco, “The acquisition of PostPath complements our strategy to develop an integrated collaboration platform designed for how we work today and into the future, providing real productivity gains and a more satisfying user experience."