San Jose, Calif. - Networking equipment maker Cisco Systems on Friday announced its first foray into the social networking space, with its acquisition of Five Across, a developer of technology that lets companies augment their websites to add social networking and user-generated content functionality.

Financial terms of the deal, expected to close by the end of April, were not disclosed.

Founded in 2003, San Francisco-based Five Across' Connect Community Builder has been used by customers including the National Hockey League (NHL), Alloy and Daily Comedy to integrate social networking elements into their websites.

"Cisco believes the network is the platform for organizations to connect with their constituents and for individuals to connect with each other," said Dan Scheinman, senior vice president and general manager of the Cisco Media Solutions Group (CMSG).

"With the acquisition of Five Across, Cisco is taking an important step towards helping its customers evolve their website experience into something more relevant and valuable to the end-user."

Related Links:

http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/070209/0213454.html

http://www.cisco.com/go/media