Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO) said today it will acquire LineSider Communications , a network management software company, for an undisclosed sum. LineSider's software is said to "enable customers to organize their network resources into a flexible cloud infrastructure that integrates the network with customers' existing IT operational tools and processes." Heaven help you if you know what that means. (See Cisco to Buy Linesider.)

In the past, LineSider (which sounds like something of a Service Provider Information Technology (SPIT) specialist) has touted its ability to help companies quickly set up and manage complex IP-based services. Cisco, like many network equipment makers, is keen to sharpen its skills by providing a straightforward way to turn on and manage services that run across the patchwork quilt of devices that make up most IP networks.

Why this matters
For all the attention Cisco has heaped on neat consumer gadgets and really expensive living room videophones, the company hasn't lost interest in solving big IP-related services issues for service providers and enterprises. In the specific case of LineSider, it appears Cisco will be able to give service providers the tools to offer computing and storage as a service to their enterprise customers. LineSider's OverDrive Service Delivery Platform is touted as a good fit for networks where virtual devices are being added, moved, or changed regularly between physical locations or network segments.

For more
Cisco has been chirping about the cloud quite a bit. Here is a recap of some of its recent announcements and news in the space, as well as some other coverage of this acquisition that might be of interest:

• InformationWeek: Cisco to Acquire Network Management Software Provider LineSider
• CRN: Cisco Snaps Up Network Services Virtualization Specialist
• Cisco: HP, IBM Had Their Chance
• BT, Cisco Claim Cloud Coup
• Cisco Beckons Carriers to the Cloud
• Who Makes What: RESTful Service Delivery Platforms

— Phil Harvey, Editor-in-Chief, Light Reading