New York, March 7 (Reuters): Communications equipment maker Cisco Systems Inc on Tuesday said it will buy privately held video surveillance company SyPixx Networks Inc for $51 million in cash and stock options.

The Waterbury, Connecticut-based company makes technology that allows companies to connect their older security video systems to Internet-based networks without having to replace them, a Cisco executive said.

“Many of the traditional video surveillance systems are analog... Everything is put on videotapes,” said Marthin De Beer, vice-president of Cisco’s Emerging Markets Technologies Group. “If you have to go back and (resolve) a problem or an investigation, it's a very time-consuming process.”

Cisco expects to close the acquisition during the third quarter of its financial year.