Cisco To Acquire Israeli Startup Sedona Systems For Reported $100M

Israeli startup Sedona Systems, a provider of multilayer network intelligence and automation solutions, is set to be acquired by Cisco, the tech conglomerate indicated on Tuesday.

Kevin Wollenweber, VP of networking for Cisco’s Mass-Scale Infrastructure Group, wrote a post announcing the multinational’s intent to acquire the Israeli company, without indicating the financial terms. Israeli business daily CTech by Calcalist estimated the value of the transaction at $100 million.

Founded in 2014, Sedona Systems developed software called NetFusion, Sedona’s network intelligence and automation platform, which offers communications service providers (CSP) a full, near real-time view of the network, enabling data-driven business decisions. NetFusion quickly became a leading, commercially deployed Hierarchical Network Controller (HCO) in the market today and has been adopted by major operators and standard bodies around the world, the company has indicated.

Sedona Systems has raised over $13 million with investors including Intel Capital and Bessemer Venture Partners.

Last month, Sedona announced the addition of NetFusion to the Cisco DevNet SolutionsPlus Program where CSP could purchase Sedona NetFusion solutions directly from Cisco.

“NetFusion is a market leader for its Hierarchical Controller (HCO) that enables multi-vendor, multi-domain automation, and software-defined networking,” wrote Wollenweber. “HCO is the brain that enables transformation like 5G network slicing, routed optical networking, and disaggregation. The Sedona NetFusion platform is the first to deliver complete network abstraction and control, allowing CSPs to manage their networks across domains, vendors, layers, and a myriad of different technologies, all as one single network.”

With NetFusion, Cisco will “deliver the most advanced network automation platform for Cisco’s Routed Optical Networking Solution” to achieve a simple goal in network automation strategy – simplification,” he said.

Together, Sedona’s NetFusion and Cisco Crosswork, the tech giant’s own automation solution for multivendor networks, will “provide a real-time replica of the entire network to predictively manage any changes to the deployment, connectivity, and activation status of all network inventory,” Wollenweber stated in the post. “Operators can preview optimization, assurance, and changes, and then commit them as needed.”