The purchase of the privately held company is part of Cisco's strategy of acquiring small, niche technology companies to diversify from its traditional focus on telecom equipment, such as the routers and switches that direct Internet traffic.
Five Across was founded in 2003 and has 11 employees in San Francisco. Its software helps companies set up blogs, podcasts, as well as audio, video, and photo sharing on their Web sites. The National Hockey League is one of its clients.
Cisco's recent acquisitions include Internet security firm IronPort. Last year, it closed its acquisition of cable set-top box maker Scientific-Atlanta, a move that highlighted its expansion into the video and consumer entertainment market.
