Broadband Developments

What it means is that Cisco Systems is serious about collaboration and Microsoft and IBM had better take notice.

Jabber will integrate into the collaboration software group.   Consider their purchase of Postpath, a messaging platform designed as a replacement for Microsoft’s Exchange.  Cisco’s collaboration offering has now added secure instant messaging.

Along with their strengths in voice conferencing, WebEx web conferencing, telepresence, and the most recent addition of enterprise email solution, Cisco has put together a package with enormous potential and value.  Given the right execution, integration, and presence, Cisco is putting together what is probably the market-leading offering.  Also let’s not overlook the value of a one-stop enterprise solution.

Another interesting point is the very nature of Jabber thickens the plot.  Jabber is built with the objective of scalability, it’s that nature that allows it to connect across all the major instant message services such as AOL, Yahoo, ICQ, Windows Live, etc.  Could that compatibility be built in to hardware devices that Cisco builds?  You bet.  Meaning devices, services can message instantly on a whole bunch of information.  And control much information as well.  Absolutely that’s part of where they will go with this.  Also look for integration to WebEx conferencing.  Jabber’s scalability features will certainly help in the move to the cloud.  Once again it all comes down to integration.

And Cisco isn’t done shopping yet, if Cisco analysts are to believed, they have other targets to fill up their bets on their buzzword focus namely, video, collaboration, and virtualization.   Meanwhile Ebay is sitting on Skype, another hot property that fits into the Unified Communications puzzle.

Cisco is fleshing out their strategy, in compelling fashion.  Now, it’s up to Cisco to deliver on integration, security and reliability.  Will corporations sign on?  Yeah I think so.  And the whole paradigm has just moved over to Cisco.  Who’s next?
The day of Unified Communications is nigh.

Cisco announced today that it is buying PostPath for $215 million for the entire stock in PostPath. In the podcast by Cisco they tie WebEx collaboration and their Unified Communications story. Hmm - Collaboration and Unified Communications. Oh yeah Cisco throws in Web 2.0 in there. What is Unified Communications? Is it Web 2.0 or old school VoIP. From the Cisco announcement it looks like Unified Communications is shaping up to be Web 2.0 with a business model.

I’ve been saying that Web 2.0 is all about relationships - collaboration on the web is just that. This could be a great move for Cisco if they move fast to show benefits to users. Unfied Communications sector has been crippled lately because the benefits just aren’t being highlighted. The problems are compounded by the fact that no one can define Unified Communications.

From Cisco’s press release .. Building upon its commitment to provide a comprehensive collaboration portfolio, Cisco 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.

Here are the details on this announcement from Cisco’s Doug Dennerline blog - actually posted by PR. Doug is the SVP of Cisco’s Collaboration Software Group.

Doug writes on his blog … Communications, globalization and automation have flattened the world and transformed the competitive landscape. The traditional competitive advantages of size and scale have been replaced by speed and flexibility. In this new world, effective, adaptive collaboration is critical to achieving sustainable competitive advantage.

Today’s acquisition of PostPath is part of our commitment to create a comprehensive cloud-based collaboration platform. By offering an on-demand version of the PostPath solution, we can provide flexible, cost-effective email and calendaring integrated with our collaboration portfolio of Cisco Unified Communications, WebEx and Business Video.

PostPath’s Linux-based email, calendaring and collaboration solution is highly secure and scalable, and incorporates an innovative Web 2.0 architecture to meet the requirements of enterprise customers and small businesses. It’s interoperable with many different email solutions, offers an AJAX web client and is compatible with a broad range of mobile devices.