3/19/2007 -- Web conferencing specialist WebEx wasn't Cisco Systems Inc.'s only acquisition last week. The networking giant also ponied up an untold sum -- but almost certainly less than the $3.2 billion it spent on WebEx -- to acquire privately held NeoPath Networks, a provider of file storage management solutions.

NeoPath markets a line of File Director products (based on what it calls "SMART virtualization" technology) that promise to help simplify management of network-attached storage (NAS) and other file servers.

"Enterprise customers are asking Cisco how they can make better use of their existing IT infrastructure, and NeoPath is part of the answer," said Jayshree Ullal, senior vice-president with Cisco's Datacenter Switching and Security Technology Group (DSSTG), in a statement. "NeoPath's technology will enhance Cisco's Services Oriented Network Architecture...direction and vision by establishing tighter linkages between file-based data and network-accelerated services."

NeoPath, based in Santa Clara, Calif., was founded in 2002 and has 55 employees, Cisco said. Once the transaction closes, the NeoPath team and products will be integrated into DSSTG. --Stephen Swoyer