SiteScape makes a deal for collaboration developer

Web-based collaboration products and services provider SiteScape Inc. agreed to purchase Imidio Inc., an audio and Web-collaboration company, SiteScape officials announced today.

With the acquisition, Zon, a new collaboration product developed by Maynard, Mass.-based Imidio, which unifies instant messaging, teleconferencing, Web conferencing and chat, will be integrated into SiteScape's collaboration platform SiteScape Forum. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"The whole key is to merge SiteScape's powerful knowledge management with Imidio's real-time instant collaboration," said Andy Fox, former chief executive officer of Imidio. Fox and all of Imidio's employees ? fewer than 10 ? will join SiteScape, Fox said. SiteScape, also of Maynard, has fewer than 50 employees, according to SiteScape officials.

Imidio sold its products primarily to telecommunications companies that would brand it under various names, Fox said. Among the organizations SiteScape lists as its customers are the Navy, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

The two companies had been working on integrating their products, and it made sense to combine the companies, Fox said.

SiteScape said there are many uses for the integrated product that likely will be released in early 2005. For example, an employee trying to make a purchase for his department could use the information-sharing features to check on the status of his request. If the purchase has not been approved, the employee would see in real time if any procurement people are available, and with a mouse click he could start an instant messaging dialog to justify the purchase.