Five years ago, Cisco launched TelePresence (Cisco TelePresence) technology for enterprise customers with extremely realistic video conferencing solutions. To mark and celebrate the 5^th anniversary, Cisco is extending its TelePresence videoconferencing by introducing end points (Cisco TelePresence MX300), free client application (Cisco TelePresence Video for Jabber) downloads to enterprises and a cloud hosted service (Cisco TelePresence Callway). The company has also renewed and expanded its service for video communications with high quality picture and sound.

Cisco TelePresence provides a “larger than life” video experience, where users feel that their conversers are in the same room.  This technology was introduced years ago to help large companies reduce their travel costs and optimize collaboration and productivity. Cisco intends to make available the many opportunities and benefits of TelePresence to companies and organizations of all sizes, including SMEs.

“TelePresence is no longer restricted to the boardroom. It is now wanted everywhere,” said Jacob Nordan, director of product management in Cisco’s Infrastructure Business Unit.

TelePresence can provide 1080p, 720p high-definition video specification. The Cisco TelePresence MX300 multi-purpose conference room system allows companies to set up TelePresence systems in 15 minutes to accommodate 9 people.

To meet the specific needs of clients, Cisco will market the service directly accessible from its own Collaboration Cloud.  Cisco offers a formula for the purchase or leasing of equipment TelePresence which is connected to a hosted service–the Cisco TelePresence Callway. By subscribing to a monthly benefit, customer can then engage in discussions and interviews via TelePresence video and also with each unit video-based standards.

Cisco is certainly expanding its video services portfolio. Earlier this week the company  agreed to buy BNI Video in a $99M all-cash deal.  BNI offers services like hosted control plane offering, transcoding and digital rights management. Earlier this year, Cisco has also acquired video encoding firm Inlet Technologies.

Cisco competitor Juniper Networks is also looking to expand its services, making five acquisitions last year, including Ankeena Networks and handset security software firm SMobile Systems, and expanding its reach to enterprise mobile, cloud initiatives, core switching and routing businesses.  Juniper is also expanding its base in the emerging converged networking market.