MISSION HILLS, Calif. – Information technology company UNICOM Systems, a division of UNICOM Global, has purchased Campbell, Calif.-based Firetide, a provider of wireless broadband technology, for an undisclosed cash amount.
The transaction will allow UNICOM to deliver networking tools to public and private sector clients, company founder, president and CEO Corry Hong says.
“U.S. military forces are using wireless mesh networking to connect their wearable computer nodes in field operations,” UNICOM Global President and CEO Corry Hong says. “Municipalities are deploying smart meters for residences to automatically transfer their readings to the central office for billing and analytics data without the need for human meter readers. We’re proud to bring such important wireless solutions to our customers.”
Prior to the acquisition, UNICOM and Firetide partnered to deploy a video surveillance network for the city of Scottsdale’s (Ariz.) Intelligent Transportation system using Firetide’s AutoMesh technology. The software works with secure voice, data and video transmissions across networks in the government, education, transportation and business markets.
Founded in 2002, Firetide has more than 10,000 government and commercial customers in 40 countries worldwide, including providing solutions for Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit, the city of Chicago, and video security at the 2013 ING New York City Marathon.
“The Firetide organization is very excited to join as the newest division of UNICOM Global,” Firetide CEO John McCool says. “UNICOM has demonstrated amazing growth and impressive leadership, and Firetide’s industry-leading products combined with UNICOM’s breadth of solutions and reach into the U.S. Federal government, SLED and commercial enterprises are a combination for great success.”
Following the close of the acquisition, UNICOM Global will work to integrate Firetide’s products throughout UNICOM’s extensive distribution channels including through its UNICOM Government, UNICOM Engineering and USRobotics divisions.
The latest deal is the second acquisition of a Silicon Valley-based company by UNICOM within two months. On March 31, UNICOM acquired the assets of Memeo, a cloud-based secure file sharing and data protection company.