Cisco buys into web 2.0

YOU CAN tell business is good when companies start to take unusual punts such as buying up companies in seemingly unrelated markets. Even so, Cisco's announcement that it is buying social-networking firm Five Across still seems a bit of a head-scratcher.

If you're still trying to work out why eBay bought Skype, you might want to sit down with a nice cup of tea and work out the justification for the 800-pound gorilla of internet plumbing picking up an 11-person startup company that lets firms plug in user-generated podcasts and other modern Web 2.0 frippery to their web sites.

Cisco of course has been attempting to convince people that it is not just a buttoned-down B2B shop but also a consumer brand through the acquisitions of Linksys and Scientific Atlanta. But even from these, the Five Across deal still seems a stretch. µ

*INQhint Cisco has a big presence on Second Wife