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Iyar co-founded WebEX acquired by Cisco for $3.2B

si Team
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
si Team
Cisco, the networking giant, has acquired WebEx Communications for US $3.2 billion in an all cash deal.

Co-Founded in 1996, by its current Chairman and CEO, Subrah S.Iyar, WebEX is a provider of online meeting application that today has 64 percent market share. Iyar’s thought leadership has driven the company into one of the market leaders in on-demand collaboration applications, and its network-based solution for delivering business-to-business collaboration.

With this acquisition, Cisco will use WebEx technology services to build a stronger combination of communications and collaboration platforms for business customers. It also plans to sell collaboration tools to small and midsize businesses. Scott Sinclair, an analyst with Technology Business Research Inc. says, “The acquisition of WebEx should help Cisco to expand from its usual territory in the enterprise market into the consumer and small and medium-sized business markets.”

Iyar has been an Internet innovator for over 20 years. Even before anyone thought of how Internet could change businesses, Iyar was quick enough to make his business web-enabled. He transformed WebEx’s sales model from an enterprise server software model to a completely Web-based service available on a subscription basis. WebEx now has a network of 3000 servers and over 2 million subscribers who use their technology as an on-demand platform for collaboration.

Previously, Iyar spent six years at Apple Computer where he was instrumental in creating the first OS licensing business in the Newton Group. At Intel, he directed product marketing and OEM sales management within the LAN software and systems group. He was also president of Future Labs, a Quarterdeck subsidiary, and vice president of sales, marketing, and business development at Teleos Research, which was acquired by Autodesk.


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