SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) today announced its intent to acquire privately held Tidal Software, Inc. Based in Palo Alto, Calif., and Houston, Tidal Software is the creator of intelligent application management and automation solutions that will advance Cisco's data center strategy by enhancing product and service delivery offerings.

"Cisco believes the network has become the logical platform to manage and maintain mission-critical applications," said Gary Moore, senior vice president of Advanced Services at Cisco. "With the acquisition of Tidal Software, Cisco will accelerate its ability to help customers optimize the performance of their business applications and automate operational best practices in real time, which will lead to significantly reduced operational costs."

Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO)