Cisco may acquire Skype

Several more or less reliable sources reported that Cisco is going to buy Skype before the company complete the IPO process. If this is true, then Cisco will strenthen its leadership on the video and unified communications markets. This acquisition will also mean the synergy of corporate and consumer communications (which is beneficial for both companies and their customers). Moreover, the protocol of these communications - will be closed, which perfectly fits Cisco's strategy and will protect its monopoly. On the other hand, the current Skype co-owners (Silver Lake) are also co-owners of Avaya - the main Cisco's competitor on the unified communications market. And they are not interested in creating such a monster as Cisco Skype. But the supposed price tag - $ 5 billion - can be a very strong argument. Recall that two years ago Google was also going to buy Skype, but antitrust concerns may have persuaded them not to make an actual offer.