On Wednesday, Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) announced the acquisition of Ireland-based ThinkSmart Technologies. The software company provides location data analysis utilzing Wi-Fi networks. The deal closed in Cisco’s fiscal year 2013’s first quarter. Terms were not disclosed.
ThinkSmart will join Cisco’s Wireless Networking Group.
Cisco Vice President, and Head of Corporate Development, Hilton Romanski, wrote of the technology company acquisition via the company’s blog on Wednesday with the following:
“The widespread proliferation of mobile devices and services provides opportunities for enterprises and service providers to better serve their end users based on location and preferences inside venues and retail spaces. With Cisco’s acquisition of ThinkSmart’s network and Wi-Fi location analytics capabilities announced today, the customer experience in public venues such as retail locations, hotels and airports, is about to get much better.
ThinkSmart Technologies, based in Cork, Ireland, is a software company that delivers location data analysis using Wi-Fi technology. Together, Cisco and ThinkSmart will enhance the wireless network by providing location intelligence and analytics to service provider and enterprise customers to know what is happening in their environments and to better engage end users.
ThinkSmart’s location analytics collects information on movement within a venue including time of day, traffic patterns and dwell times. This information helps enterprises and venue operators improve the customer experience by identifying appropriate staffing levels, reducing wait times, optimizing business processes, and improving customer flows.”
Also on Wednesday, Cisco announced the deal on its website.
“Together, Cisco and ThinkSmart will enhance the wireless network infrastructure by providing location analytics to customers to more effectively analyze end user behavior. By enhancing Cisco networks with location analytics technology, Cisco will enable customers to extract greater value from the network allowing them to make better, timelier business decisions that lead to new monetization channels and enhanced consumer/end-user experiences.”
The news comes on the heels of the Sept 12 story regarding Cisco’s unveiling of new products at the Deutsche Bank conference that included a cloud firewall.
Today, Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO)’s shares are down 0.55%, trading at $18.55.
