Juniper Acquires Ankeena for Less Than $100 Million

Juniper Networks, the second-largest maker of networking equipment, will pay less than $100 million for Ankeena Networks, a maker of video-streaming software that may help it compete with Cisco.

Juniper and Cisco are adding video capabilities as they woo service providers, carriers and cable companies, which are scrambling to handle the surge in demand for Internet video. Ankeena's software helps customers stream massive amounts of video without visual jerkiness or disruptions. Founded in 2008, Ankeena is backed by Clearstone Venture Partners, Mayfield Fund and Trinity Ventures. The company competes with Alcatel-Lucent, in addition to Cisco, the biggest maker of networking gear. The deal will probably close this month, Juniper said. This is Juniper's first acquisition in almost five years.