Comcast Acquired PowerCloud Systems

[dfergie]

Ingrid Lunden
I have now confirmed that Comcast has indeed acquired PowerCloud Systems, a spinoff from PARC that developed hardware and software to monitor broadband usage in your home or office. From what I understand, the deal was mainly an acquihire and small in Comcast terms, at under $50 million.

Comcast will not be resuscitating Skydog (a home WiFi monitoring hardware and app) or other products from PowerCloud. Rather, the idea, from what I understand, will be for Comcast to take some of that technology, and the people who created it, for them to work on a bigger “smart Internet” strategy (that’s the term used internally). As carriers continue to look for ways to be more than commoditized bit pipes, this will be part of Comcast’s wider technology play, and will include developing a product similar to Skydog but effectively able to connect with, monitor and manage all connected hardware in the home.

While Comcast has bigger ambitions outside of being a bit pipe, it will be worth watching whether it chooses to expand its own walled garden accordingly.

techcrunch.com

 

[dfergie]

Comcast Buys PowerCloud Systems

Tyson Marian, who works in strategic development at Comcast, told VentureBeat, that the operator expects to start integrating PowerCloud’s device management technologies into its products, including router/modem combos, sometime next year. That mix will allow users to securely track devices coming off and on of the home network, Marian told the publication.

The acquisition of PowerCloud comes into as Comcast continues to deploy WiFi technologies aggressively. In June, Comcast said its Xfinity WiFi footprint had expanded to about 3 million hotspots nationwide, getting it closer toward a goal of expanding that footprint to 8 million hotspots by the end of 2014. That number is comprised of hotspots deployed outdoor and commercial venues, as well as inside customer-supplied routers that emit a separate “XfinityWiFi” SSID that can be accessed by authenticated Comcast high-speed Internet subscribers.

Elsewhere on that wireless front, Comcast Business is developing an “amenity” WiFi product for small business owners that enable them to provide access to a company-branded SSID alongside tailored usage rules, security mechanisms, and other specific terms of service.

multichannelnews.com