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Google Buys Video Conferencing Software |
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Written by Adam Gosling
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Monday, 23 April 2007 |
Deciding whether to
build or buy technology probably becomes an easier decision when your
Quarterly net income reaches the US1.2 Billion per mark.
And with a
US$3.1 billion Doubleclick acquisition in the works, there probably
wasn't enough contract lawyers and accountants at the Googleplex to
beat Cisco to the post when it acquired video conferencing company
WebEx last month for US$3.2 billion.
But the acquisition of
Stockholm-based Marratech's video conferencing software, may not signal
a Google entrance into the emerging adhoc peer to peer video calling
market (like Skype or Windows Live), or the business to business video
conferencing market (Like Cisco's WebEx). A Google spokesperson is
reported as saying the Marratech software will be deployed internally
to allow Google staff to communicate with each other.
At least initially.
"As
a company, we thrive on casual interactions and spontaneous
collaboration. So we're excited about acquiring Marratech's video
conferencing software,
which will enable from-the-desktop participation for Googlers in
videoconference meetings wherever there's an Internet connection,"
wrote Douglas Merrill, Google VP of Engineering.
Although
Google acquired the software rather than the company, it also hired the
Swedish developers and they will continue development of the
technology, but under the Google banner.
"We
look forward to learning from the extraordinary ingenuity of
Marratech's engineers as they focus on desktop conferencing research
and development in Sweden, where they will continue to be located," said Merrill.
Terms
of the acquisition were not disclosed, but it seems that Marratech will
continue to operate and will service and support customers of the
software even though it will not be able to sign up new users as it no
longer owns the software.
The
software, which works on Windows, Mac and Linux computers supports
audio and video conferencing as well as application sharing and instant
messaging.
The system is neither peer-2-peer like Skype or a
Web-based server-supported system like the WebEx conferencing system
acquired by Cisco last month.
In
their current form Marratech systems consist of two components; a
desktop client and a centralised server called Marratech Server.
www.marratech.com
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