Apptio products, used by Cisco, will be integrated with professional services offerings
Cisco has invested in Apptio, a maker of “technology business management” software. What’s TBM, you ask? It’s applications that provide insight into the cost, quality and value of IT to business objectives.
It helps makes IT a business asset rather than a business expense.
Cisco contributed an undisclosed amount to the $3.5 million second portion of Apptio’s Series C round. Cisco will also integrate Apptio’s TBM products into its own professional services offerings for enterprise customers this quarter, specifically in the areas of data center virtualization, “borderless networks” and collaboration. It’ll attach a dollar value to Cisco’s architectural visions in these areas.
Borderless Networks is a Cisco marketing umbrella for enterprise campus and branch offerings, with the intention of granting anytime access to anything from anywhere by anyone using any device. Cisco’s own research, however, shows there are a host of sticky issues that accompany the rationale for borderless networks, particularly in areas of security, authorized use and access, the roles and responsibilities of IT and employees, definition and enforcement of corporate policies, telecommuting… pretty much the whole ball of wax.
So the Apptio products might have their work cut out for them there.
Cisco also uses Apptio TBM software for its own IT/business alignment. So do Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City, BNP Paribas, EMD Chemical and Starbucks. Apptio’s Series C total was $20 million, and in addition to Cisco, investors included Andreessen Horowitz, Greylock Partners, Madrona Venture Group and Shasta Ventures.
The company has now raised $41 million since October 2007.
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