10/21/2008 -- Cisco Systems Inc. and Adobe Systems Inc. might not seem like ideal or intuitive partners. But given the ubiquity of Adobe's Flash technology and the pervasiveness of Cisco's networking gear, they've got one thing in common: a near-omnipresent reach. Late last month, both vendors partnered to promote Cisco's Content Delivery System with Internet Streaming, or CDS-IS.

Cisco and Adobe announced that a major Italian service provider, Telecom Italia, had deployed CDS-IS to deliver live television and on-demand content via its Web portal. Cisco's CDS-IS uses an embedded version of Adobe Flash Media Server 3 to compress and distribute video content, according to officials.

Yawn, right? Not so fast, say industry watchers, who maintain that a high-profile customer win is just what Cisco's CDS-IS needed.

"[Cisco] needed to land Telecom Italia's endorsement to energize sales and marketing efforts on behalf of its Cisco CDS platform, especially the...CDS-IS component, which leverages embedded Adobe Flash Media Server 3 software technology to scale the ingestion, distribution and delivery of Internet-based video content," wrote Ron Westfall, an analyst with market watcher Current Analysis. Telecom Italia's Yalp! service will tap the CDS-IS to deliver Internet video services to its 9 million broadband customers.

Cisco officials, not surprisingly, trumpet the deal as a harbinger of things to come. "The visual networking era is under way, and the Cisco CDS-IS platform is helping Telecom Italia go beyond traditional television," said Kip Compton, director and general manager of Cisco's Video and Content Platforms business unit, in a statement. "Consumers are no longer satisfied with linear programming delivered through the television screen. They want choice and personalized experiences, and they want them on their time across a myriad of devices."

Westfall, for his part, believes that the deal -- which amounts to a big vote of confidence in Cisco's CDS platform -- will help further solidify the networking giant's position in the still-gestating video networking segment.

"Cisco already commands strong market positions and leadership in key video networking areas such as video routing, STBs and CDS technology, which will oblige end-to-end...video networking and CDS/VoD server rivals to respond to Cisco's new CDS initiative with Telecom Italia," he said. --Stephen Swoyer