Cisco Systems (CSCO) Announces Plan To Buy ThousandEyes

By Amit Chowdhry ● May 29, 2020
  • Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) has announced its plan to buy Internet and Cloud intelligence platform company ThousandEyes

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) has announced its plan to buy privately-held ThousandEyes, Inc. ThousandEyes’ Internet and Cloud intelligence platform is known for delivering deep visibility and insights into the digital delivery of applications and services over the Internet.

The last few years have seen a rapid acceleration of cloud adoption, widespread use of SaaS applications, and a reliance on the Internet and networks outside of enterprise control. And this increased dependence on the Internet and other third-party infrastructures, compounded over the past several months during the COVID-19 pandemic substantially reduces the ability for enterprise IT teams to predict, visualize, and control operational behavior. This results in a chaotic and unmanageable IT environment that makes issue resolution a time-consuming ordeal that can potentially have a massive impact on customer experience, brand reputation, and revenue. 

By combining Cisco’s strength in network and application performance with ThousandEyes’ visibility into the Internet, customers will now have an end-to-end view into the digital delivery of applications and services over the Internet thus allowing them to pinpoint deficiencies and improve network and application performance across enterprise and cloud networks. This acquisition will also empower enterprises to accelerate their digital transformation — no matter where they are in their journey — by delivering comprehensive visibility into applications and services delivered to customers and employees.

“I’m excited to welcome the ThousandEyes team to Cisco,” said Todd Nightingale, senior vice president and general manager of Cisco Enterprise Networking and Cloud. “The combination of Cisco and ThousandEyes will enable deeper and broader visibility to pinpoint deficiencies and improve the network and application performance across all networks. This will give customers end-to-end visibility when accessing cloud applications, and Internet Intelligence will improve networking reliability and the overall application experience.” 

Going forward, Cisco will incorporate ThousandEyes’ capabilities across Cisco’s core Enterprise Networking and Cloud and AppDynamics portfolios to enhance visibility across the enterprise, Internet, and the cloud. 

This acquisition is expected to close before the end of Cisco’s Q1 FY’21. And ThousandEyes will join Cisco’s newly-formed Networking Services business unit, reporting to Todd Nightingale. As part of the Networking Services business unit, ThousandEyes CEO and co-founder Mohit Lad will now have the role of general manager of ThousandEyes and co-Founder and CTO Ricardo Oliveira will continue to drive ThousandEyes product vision and innovation strategy.