Network giant Cisco has acquired email and calendaring software vendor PostPath for $215m, in a move seen as an attempt to compete with Microsoft in both the email and online collaboration markets.

Cisco said PostPath's technology could interoperate with "many other email systems, as well as providing a browser-independent Ajax web client, and maintaining compatibility with a number of mobile clients, including RIM's BlackBerry and Microsoft's ActiveSync". It will also be integrated into Cisco's cloud-based Webex software-as-a-service (SaaS) offering.

In a blog post, Alex Hadden-Boyd, Webex marketing director at Cisco, said, " PostPath offers Linux-based both client and server-based email and calendaring, uses innovative Web 2.0 architectures, and can be used by both large enterprises and SMEs, the technology has native compatibility with Microsoft Outlook and Exchange."

The deal is subject to standard closing conditions, and PostPath employees will become part of the Cisco Collaboration Software Group (CSG), which also includes web collaboration vendor Webex and email security provider IronPort.