Cisco to acquire Fluidmesh Networks to bolster Industrial IoT business

April 07, 2020

Cisco has announced that it plans to acquire Fluidmesh Networks, makers of a wireless backhaul system for Industrial Internet of Things deployments. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Fluidmesh’s technology aims to provide zero loss of data transfer when assets such as trains and subways are moving at high speed. The company’s wireless technologies are used in rail, mining, port, and public mass transit operations where signal strength can be an issue.

Cisco said Fluidmesh will join its IoT business, extending Cisco’s industrial wireless offerings to more industries, key customer segments, partners, and end users. The networking giant will also leverage Fluidmesh’s industry-specialized sales team and systems integrator relationships to ramp up Cisco’s Industrial IoT business and broaden its reach.

“With wireless technology playing a greater role in every organization’s multi-access IoT strategy, reliable wireless connectivity is paramount to organizations operating Industrial IoT environments, whether that’s manufacturing, mining, rail, or ports, where wireless technology automates operations to improve safety and lower costs,” said Liz Centoni, SVP and GM of Cisco’s Cloud, Compute, and IoT businesses. “The acquisition of Fluidmesh strengthens Cisco’s offerings in this space with leading technology that’s designed to provide zero loss of data transfer at speeds in excess of 300 Km/h.”

The acquisition is expected to close in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020, Cisco said.