Cisco Folding RealNetworks' Latest Into Content ProductsCisco Folding RealNetworks' Latest Into Content Products

Determined not to lose a step in its battle with Nortel Networks Corp., Cisco Systems on Monday agreed to integrate RealNetworks Inc.'s RealSystem iQ into its content-networking product line. The move is intended to enable networks built around Cisco equipment to more effectively allocate bandwidth when delivering streamed digital media.

Cisco and Nortel have established themselves as market leaders in offering gear designed to detect the types of content moving through a network and route it appropriately. With the upgrade to RealSystem iQ, a streaming architecture introduced in December that uses peer-to-peer computing to speed up content delivery, Cisco's equipment will let customers effectively cache streamed media so subsequent requests aren't subject to network bottlenecks.

Jim Ricotta, general manager of Cisco's content-networking business unit, says that as Cisco sells content-delivery networks to service providers and other companies, it's always asked about streaming capabilities, making it crucial that Cisco support the latest versions of all the latest media formats. Cisco also supports Microsoft's Windows Media Player and Apple Computer's QuickTime format.

Webnoize analyst Lee Black says networking equipment makers must continue to deliver the smartest networking products possible if their customers are to enjoy the full benefits of streamed media. Black says that RealNetworks will benefit from the increased use of RealSystem iQ, but he's especially impressed with Cisco's commitment to improving networks' ability to serve streamed media. Says Black, "It's good news for Real, but it's better news for Cisco."