Technology giant Cisco has announced it is acquiring privately-held Versly for an unspecified amount. Versly makes collaboration tools that interoperate with Microsoft Office productivity applications, enabling users to work together on documents, spreadsheets, email, and presentations. Cisco plans to integrate Versly capabilities into its WebEx online collaboration and conferencing system, along with Cisco Jabber, Cisco Quad, and other online communication tools.
“Collaboration is a top priority at Cisco,” said Cisco’s Collaboration Software Group VP and general manager Murali Sitaram, in a statement. “With this acquisition we’re enhancing our collaboration offerings and improving the user experience by integrating social technologies within the business applications individuals and teams use at work.”
Collaboration is one of the five areas Cisco is focusing on as its seeks to retool its business and shore up its bottom line. Earlier this summer, Cisco announced plans to trim some 9 percent of its workforce, streamline management, and shed some operations in order to make the company more efficient. Yet Cisco is still acquiring enterprises: last week, the company announced plans to spent $31 million to buy the software fulfillment outfit formerly known as Axoim Systems from Comptel’s UK subsidiary—so Cisco is adding headcount and operations at the same time it’s trying to trim itself down.
