Tandberg brand could be cut

The proposed takeover of video conferencing company Tandberg by multinational Cisco could result in the brand being made redundant in the future.Tandberg senior marketing manager Claire Larsen says that if the Cisco takeover is completed, the multinational could dump the Tandberg name as they are likely to choose to brand their own video conferencing products under the Cisco name, making the Tandberg brand surplus to requirements.The Tandberg name could be used in other ways, she says. Cisco had a bid of $US 3 billion rejected on Thursday 15 October after a group of 21 Tandberg investors, who make up 24% of the video conferencing company, decided the offer was too low.Larsen says if the takeover is completed, it is believed the company could be amalgamated within the Cisco framework after a year.But Larsen says the Cisco takeover validates the work Tandberg is doing.Tandberg released two new products to the New Zealand market on Tuesday. One, the Tandberg Telepresence T1, marketed to the corporate client, and the other a new desktop model.