Cisco yesterday announced a deal to buy network monitoring firm NetSolve for $11 per share or approximately $128m. The acquisition of NetSolve, which is subject to stockholder and regulatory approvals, is expected to close in Cisco's Q2 '05. NetSolve which was founded in 1987, went public in 1999 and has 292 employees will join Cisco's Customer Advocacy Group post acquisition.

The networking giant said is buying NetSolve's services in order to bolster its ability to offer its customers real-time monitoring of Cisco products and advanced IP services (such as IP telephony and security). NetSolve's core services include the monitoring and management of IP communications networks, security software and devices, WANs and LANs. NetSolve offers a secure, web-based portal to give customers easy visibility of their IT infrastructure.

Bringing this technology onboard will allow Cisco to expand its managed services portfolio in close co-operation with its channel partners. Cisco will offer these services to its partners via a resale model, a wholesale Application Service Provider (ASP) model, or via its Advanced Technology Partner program. ®

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