(Telecompaper) Cisco has signed an agreement to acquire solid-state memory system company Whiptail to enhance its Unified Computing System (UCS). Scalable from 1 to 30 nodes, Whiptail systems can deliver over four million IOPS and 360 Terabytes of raw capacity to help Cisco provide the workload optimisation required in the 'App Economy'. Under the terms of the deal, Cisco will pay around USD 415 million in cash and retention-based incentives in exchange for all shares of the privately-held company. The acquisition is expected to be completed by the end of October, subject to customary closing conditions.