Today we launch a suite of online tools which show how businesses can create secure branded virtual world environments, accessible via the company’s own website. The ‘Virtual World Demonstrator’ can be accessed via the ‘Virtual World’ menu link on this site and has been developed with funding from North West Vision and Media.
Companies will be able to see how activities such as networking, corporate communications, running meetings and conferences, training staff and trialling new products can be carried out in their own-brand virtual world environment, using the Second Life platform. We’ve created bespoke viewer software so that the user experience can be customised to reflect their brand. Avatars can also be created with names which are brand specific and the environment can be made totally secure, accessible only via the company’s website.
This is a fantastic piece of technology enabling businesses to create their own private virtual space. By providing a closed virtual world we are eliminating some of the biggest fears organisations have, namely security and staff misuse – outsiders can’t see in and users are restricted to exploring the company’s space.
Undertaking business in virtual worlds reduces cost, time and environmental impact by bringing together people who are geographically dispersed. We’ve seen the education sector and large corporations such as IBM, BP and Diageo embrace virtual worlds, but the benefits are yet to filter down to SMEs. The Virtual World Demonstrator helps reduce barriers to entry, enabling companies to get a sense of how virtual environments can be used as well as the benefits such as reducing cost and time.
If you are a business and want to find out more register your interest in the ‘Virtual World’ section of this site. Once given access to The Virtual World Demonstrator, you will register an avatar and then be taken to the Corporation Pop Orientation Room. After the basics of movement and interaction with objects has been mastered, you will be given free and unlimited access to our private environment to experience what is possible in the space, including the opportunity to take part in a ‘face-to-face’ meeting.
