Cisco plans to sell Latitude’s MeetingPlace conferencing software, under the Cisco brand, out of its Voice Technology Group, as part of its Architecture for Voice, Video and Integrated Data (AVVID) systems set.
MeetingPlace is a software system deployed behind the firewall to allow companies to manage their own web conferences without ongoing service charges. That’s where Cisco thinks the market is going.
Web conferencing is also an area where the main players in the videoconferencing market already have products. Polycom Inc [PLCM] is pushing its WebOffice system as conferencing that can be used within or without the firewall.
Cisco believes Latitude’s software already offers some integration with Cisco’s CallManager voice over IP software. Users can use CallManager and Cisco IP phones to manage the voice component of MeetingPlace meetings.
The market for converged voice, data and video with a presence-based infrastructure is gradually becoming a reality. Emerging standards such as SIP, supported in MeetingPlace, are helping to drive this.
Latitude, which has been traded on Nasdaq since 1999, created revenue of $26 million in the first nine months of this year. Its acquisition by Cisco is subject to regulatory approval and approval by Latitude’s shareholders.
This article was based on material originally published by ComputerWire.
