Google has bought online video-conferencing software company, Marratech, the latest in a barrage of software application announcements by the online giant.
Google announced the acquisition on its blog, saying the Sweden-based Marratech will be great for Google’s own workplace because Googlers “thrive on casual interactions and spontaneous collaboration.”
Video-conferencing is a logical next move for Google, given its dive into online video recently with the acquisition of YouTube. It’s just the latest front in its battle against Microsoft, which has its own web conferencing software Live Meeting. Cisco, meanwhile, just acquired another major player in the industry, WebEx, for $3.2 billion.
The difference, of course, is that Google paid pennies relative to what Cisco paid. As a consumer oriented company, Google can presumably distribute the software easily and perhaps even for free. Marratech, founded in 1998, raised at least the equivalent of $10 million. Investors include Slottbacken Venture Capital, the investment unit of Telia Sonera, the Sixth Swedish National Pension Fund, Emano, Hagstromer, and Qviberg.
This follows a number of new offerings by Google in the past few days, including a StumbleUpon clone that recommends other sites you might be interested in, a revamping of its shopping site, and the release of its Powerpoint look-alike. No word yet on whether Marratech will be implemented into Google Talk anytime soon. Marratech lets groups and individuals communicate over the Web, fully collaborative features such as an interactive whiteboard.
Tags: co:google, co:Marratech, deal3 Comments
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O.O. said:
Terrific company. Let’s see what happens to telephony.
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Kevin Ruston said:
Turns out they just bought the SOFTWARE, not the company: El Goog has updated the blog entry to this effect, presumably since you reported it: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/04/collaborating-with-marratech.html
This must have scared a few players in this market: they can all calm down now for a while - until Google uses it’s internal learnings to launch its own thing in 12 months of course! ;-) -
Wayne Kerr said:
Google bought a great team and the technology I expect that will mean that Google will create its own great webconf technology.
The Marratech product is marooned left to die with no updates - no point in buying it. A shame as I heard it was a good technology!
