Cisco this week announced that it has purchased privately held Richards-Zeta Building Intelligence, a provider of middleware that enables businesses to integrate building infrastructure and IT applications over an IP network.
The middleware is designed to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon footprint by managing power consumption of building control systems and IT infrastructure from an IP network. Richards-Zeta's middleware transforms building operational data into an "IT friendly" format that integrates with existing applications, Cisco says.
Richards-Zeta's technologies will support Cisco's Connected Real Estate and EnergyWise initiatives. EnergyWise, launched Tuesday, is software for Cisco's Catalyst switches that's designed to proactively measure, report and reduce the energy consumption of IP devices such as phones, laptops and access points.
Ultimately, Cisco expects to have Richards-Zeta's technology interoperate with EnergyWise and third-party partner software to enable the management of power consumption for building and IT infrastructure.
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Richards-Zeta employees will become part of Cisco's Emerging Technologies Group that is located in the company's Globalisation Centre East in Bangalore, India, reporting to Senior Vice President Marthin De Beer. This is the first Cisco acquisition to become part of the Globalisation Centre East.
The Emerging Technologies Group is responsible for incubating new businesses and adjacent markets with the potential of US$1 billion worth of revenue for Cisco.