Cisco - the next Facebook?

When it comes to M&A, few have as much expertise as Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO). But recently, the serial acquirer has been buying up some odd companies – small social networking firms, such as Five Across and Tribe.

Now we are seeing some of the results of these deals: Cisco is launching a new software platform called Eos, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. Basically, Eos is an entertainment operating system that will help companies build social networks. Cisco plans to deliver Eos via the Net, not installed software. The business model will entail a subscription fee.

To get some background on this, I had a chance to interview Erick Brownstein, an expert on social networking and operates the Social Media Method blog:

"Cisco's trend antennae have been up, and they are wisely betting on the future of social media. They are combining all of the 'right' ingredients with their content-agnostic, white-label Eos platform. It's not just video and entertainment, but special interest and lifestyle. The data mined will guide not only behavioral advertising, but Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN)-style recommendations as well. It'll be interesting to see what other elements they bring into the mix. There's clearly plenty of room out there for a company like Cisco to hold the hands of traditional media companies -- and mid- to large-sized companies across many industries -- that are trying to navigate through the social media landscape."

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements.