First we have (NASDAQ: CSCO) Cisco Sytems buying up “social media” infrastructure…that was hardly the end as they gobbled up WebEx for estimated 3.2 billion. However, WebEx was not the only acquisition Cisco Systems Inc.’s announced last week either- although probably the largest. The powerhouse also snapped up (for an unknown sum) to acquire privately held NeoPath Networks, a provider of file storage management solutions. NeoPath markets a line of File Director products (they call it “SMART virtualization”) with the promise to help simplify management of NAS and other file servers.

In addition to this Cisco unveiled new functions in its TelePresence products this week that seem to be designed to support “crowds”- big crowds.

This new multipoint switch makes it possible for a company to set up online conferences with participants from as many as thirty-six separate locations. A company also can use a new B2B feature to extend virtual meetings to include customers, partners and contractors (anyone really) working in offices not behind their own firewall. The TelePresence product, which is old news, creates a huge videoconferencing environment that “simulates” a live meeting space. The latest functions being adding lets participants share documents, PowerPoints, images and even 3-D objects! With “Auto-Collaboration” a camera is used to capture an image and display it for participants with a projector…interesting.

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