Cisco social network strategy emerges

Cisco Systems’ social network strategy—fueled by acquisitions of two small social network vendors earlier this year—has started to emerge, with a surprising focus on consumer entertainment.

At this week’s Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, Dan Scheinman, Cisco’s senior vice president and general manager of media solutions, discussed the company’s new social network product, which he called EOS, for entertainment operating system.

While most observers figured Cisco would take technology from its Tribe and Five Across acquisitions to target business social networks, the vendor is instead planning to leverage its Linksys home router and Scientific-Atlanta video network/set-top businesses for its social network play. The idea would be to integrate video delivery, search and community interaction across consumer video networks.

Details are scarce so far, and Cisco did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But at the event, Scheinman said EOS would launch next year and “combine the best of community, video and discovery on an integrated platform.”

According to reports, Cisco has launched pilot projects of EOS with two sports-related content providers, the National Hockey League and NASCAR. It’s not clear what role service providers such as telcos or cable operators would play in the EOS environment.

On the official Cisco corporate blog, Scott Brown, marketing strategist for Cisco's Media Solutions Group, further described EOS as "a software platform that serves as an entertainment operating system enabling consumers to have an interactive, personalized, community-based entertainment experience, while simplifying the administrative experience for content owners in engaging audiences, and distributing and monetizing their content."

Brown said Cisco has unique assets to deliver on that vision. "Having both the distribution and connection (to both the set-top box and home network) becomes strategic in providing that next-generation experience," Brown said.