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Cisco Systems is continuing its buying spree with the announcement Oct. 28 that it is acquiring 1 Mainstream to boost its cloud video efforts.
1 Mainstream marks the third company in as many days this week that Cisco officials said they intend to acquire. On Oct. 26, the company announced it is buying ParStream, a company whose analytics database technologies enable organizations to more easily store and parse large amounts of data at the network’s edge. A day later, Cisco added to its security portfolio with the $542.5 million acquisition of Lancope, whose StealthWatch system helps businesses protect their assets in an increasingly connected and mobile world.
The acquisitions are all part of the master plan, according to Rob Salvagno, vice president of corporate development at Cisco.
“Acquisitions are a foundational element of Cisco’s build, buy, partner, invest and co-develop approach to innovation,” Salvagno wrote in a post on the company blog. “1 Mainstream represents the third acquisition announced by Cisco this week and highlights how we are applying our unique approach to innovation to capture key market disruptions in areas such as cloud (1 Mainstream), analytics (ParStream) and security (Lancope).”
No financial details of the 1 Mainstream acquisition were announced.
The 1 Mainstream purchase comes more than a month after Cisco officials unveiled the company’s Infinite portfolio of cloud-based video solutions aimed at enabling service providers, broadcasters and media firms to bring enhanced TV experiences to a broad range of screens—from connected televisions to tablets and smartphones—via a single cloud.
The first two products within the Infinite suite introduced in September were Infinite Home, for delivering video experiences through two-way cable and telecommunications networks, and Infinite Video, targeting consumer devices with video delivered through unmanaged over-the-top (OTT) Internet connections.
1 Mainstream fits firmly in the second area, with a cloud-based platform that enables service providers, broadcasters, media companies and emerging digital content companies to more easily deliver media content to most connected devices, including Apple TV and Microsoft’s Xbox gaming console, according to Salvagno.
1 Mainstream’s technology is used by many content providers and traditional service providers, and can be used with most video streaming platforms, he said.
“1 Mainstream plays a key role in the OTT PayTV and media industry, sitting at the intersection between content and connected devices, and seamlessly moving content across connected devices,” Salvagno wrote. “The company’s platform is widely used by major content providers and traditional service providers, to deliver their content across most of the video streaming platforms available today. … With the acquisition of 1 Mainstream, Cisco will enable our customers to leverage the cloud to deliver new services faster and accelerate their own TV services.”
The deal is expected to close in the current quarter. Afterward, 1 Mainstream will be folded into Cisco’s Service Provider Video Software and Solutions Cloud Engineering Group, which is led by Conrad Clemson, senior vice president and general manager.