Cisco this week announced plans to purchase Denmark-based DiviTech A/S, a provider of digital-service management systems, as part of a broader video strategy and product launch.

DiviTech's DSM products offer media broadcasters, cable and IPTV service providers an intuitive interface for creating, modifying and managing video networks, Cisco says. DiviTech's DSM technology includes a software application that will allow service providers to centrally provision and deliver localized content, such as local and regional news and on-demand video and services, within a specific geography. (Catch up on 2008's hottest tech M&A deals to date here.)

Cisco plans to integrate DiviTech's DSM product with its ROSA network and element-management system to create a platform that offers digital video element, network and service management in a single product. (Compare video collaboration products.)  

DiviTech marks Cisco's 128th acquisition. The deal is subject to various standard closing conditions and is expected to be finalized in Cisco's fourth quarter of fiscal year 2008. Financial terms of the transaction are undisclosed.

Cisco plans to integrate DiviTech into its Digital Media business unit as part of the Service Provider Video Technology Group. DiviTech employees will move into Cisco's Copenhagen facility.

On the product front, Cisco unveiled video surveillance modules for its Integrated Services Router (ISR) platform. The modules are intended to converge physical security over an IP network but are also designed to support non-IP video surveillance equipment to enable a migration to IP-based surveillance.

Cisco has more than 4 million ISR branch router customers. Video surveillance is one of a number of services that run on the ISR, which also supports unified communications, network security, VPNs and mobility.

The video surveillance modules for the Cisco 2800 and 3800 series ISRs include:

* Video Management and Storage System (VMSS) Network Module, which helps enable local archival and management of video images. VMSS lets customers manage and monitor multiple video sources through a single converged interface, Cisco says. It supports Cisco and third-party IP cameras.

* IP Video Surveillance 16-Port Analog Video Gateway Network Module, which provides high-density analog video encoding, as many as 30 frames per second per port at as many as 4CIF video resolution, support for Motion JPEG and MPEG4, remote Pan Tilt Zoom camera control, integrated contact closure ports, and embedded motion detection.