- Cisco announced in late December a definitive agreement to acquire the privately held company, Tivella, Inc. of Half Moon Bay, California. Tivella is a provider of digital signage software and systems. Although Tivella only has ten employees, the acquistion is being touted by some as a harbinger of the entry of IT heavyweights into the electronic signage spaceparticularly IP-based signage systems.
- "We feel there is enormous potential for digital signage to be integrated into our existing enterprise streaming and live video broadcasting platform," said Marthin De Beer, Senior Vice President of Cisco's Emerging Market Technologies Group. "This will allow Cisco to provide live video, video-on-demand, and other rich media content to desktops and digital signage displays using IP for applications such as targeted communications, advertising, and training."
- The acquisition is subject to various standard closing conditions and is expected to close in the second quarter of Cisco's fiscal year 2007.
- Tivella was founded 2001 and has 10 employees based primarily in Milpitas, CA, with Corporate offices in Half Moon Bay, CA.
- Upon close of the transaction the Tivella team and product portfolio will be integrated in Cisco's Emerging Markets Technology Group, reporting into De Beer. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com.
