Computer networking business Cisco has acquired privately-held company Versly.

Computer networking business Cisco has acquired privately-held company Versly.

US-based Versly uses Microsoft applications to provide users with collaboration in documents, spreadsheets, presentations and email. The business was started by former BEA and Sun executive Benjamin Renaud and former Yahoo Business Development and Strategy employee Erik Eccles.

According to a statement, ‘collaboration’ is one of Cisco’s ‘five company priorities’, and represents what it believes to be a total addressable market of $45 billion.

Murali Sitaram, vice president and general manager of Collaboration Software Group at Cisco, comments: ‘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.

‘Furthermore, the integration with Versly will drive productivity improvements for organisations and their knowledge workers, many of whom are among the 600 million Microsoft Office users.’

Versly’s software is to be integrated into Cisco’s collaboration services including Cisco Quad, Cisco Jabber and Cisco WebEx.

‘With this acquisition we are gaining strong talent and innovative technology that builds on Cisco’s successful collaboration platform,’ says Ned Hooper, senior vice president and chief strategy officer at Cisco.

Under the terms of the deal Versly employees will be integrated into Cisco CSG. Financial terms of the transaction are undisclosed.

California-headquartered Cisco has its UK base in Middlesex along with seven additional UK and Republic of Ireland offices.