NetScout to Buy Psytechnics

Westford, MA-based NetScout Systems (NASDAQ: [[ticker:NTCT]]), a network-performance management firm, said today it is acquiring Psytechnics, a software company based in Ipswich, U.K., and Portsmouth, NH. Financial terms of the deal were not given. Psytechnics helps businesses manage the quality of IP voice, video, and telepresence services; the firm says its installed base manages more than a million Internet telephony users in the U.S. and Europe. NetScout, which is led by CEO Anil Singhal, makes software to help businesses run their IP networks more efficiently. The company operates in a competitive sector that includes startups like Seattle-based ExtraHop Networks. For the most recent quarter, NetScout reported a profit of about $11 million on roughly $76 million in revenue.

Author: Gregory T. Huang

Greg is a veteran journalist who has covered a wide range of science, technology, and business. As former editor in chief, he overaw daily news, features, and events across Xconomy's national network. Before joining Xconomy, he was a features editor at New Scientist magazine, where he edited and wrote articles on physics, technology, and neuroscience. Previously he was senior writer at Technology Review, where he reported on emerging technologies, R&D, and advances in computing, robotics, and applied physics. His writing has also appeared in Wired, Nature, and The Atlantic Monthly’s website. He was named a New York Times professional fellow in 2003. Greg is the co-author of Guanxi (Simon & Schuster, 2006), about Microsoft in China and the global competition for talent and technology. Before becoming a journalist, he did research at MIT’s Artificial Intelligence Lab. He has published 20 papers in scientific journals and conferences and spoken on innovation at Adobe, Amazon, eBay, Google, HP, Microsoft, Yahoo, and other organizations. He has a Master’s and Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT, and a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.