Virtual World Evangelist at IBM Produces Virtual Meetings in 3D
Big Blue has a lot of irons in the fire these days. As a virtual event platform agnostic company, IBM has worked with Second Life, Open Sim, Torque, Active Worlds, Unity 3D and Olive. Karen Keeter, a marketing executive with IBM research, believes that, at this point, no single platform is the magic bullet for all 3D virtual business demands. IBM virtual event clients (internal and external) demonstrate needs across a wide spectrum, from strategy workshops to marketing and sales to collaboration among a global workforce, and the company utilizes a variety of platforms, in some cases integrated with IBM tools and applications, to meet these new demands.
IBM has a strong presence on Second Life, growing from approximately 12 virtual islands to somewhere between 45 and 50 which are managed independently of IBM’s corporate home base. They run the gamut from IBM Germany, IBM Italy, a virtual business center and a virtual green data center, to name a few. With the explosion in globalized workforces, much of the emphasis is on bringing together remote employees. In a single day, Keener meets with teams in Germany, Australia, China, Michigan, Vermont and New York. She finds a virtual environment more productive than a conference call.
IBM currently maintains a virtual business center where potential clients can get product or technology information through a virtual environment as opposed to a website. Keeter sees this as the next logical step in marketing strategy as well as “another entry point for clients who are interested in learning more about us.” At this point, IBM does not currently offer direct sales through its Second Life presence, but the presence alone provides a model for lead generation and future sales.
When venturing into a virtual world for the first time, Keeter advocates orientation sessions so employees understand how to navigate those worlds. A one hour orientation is typical to teach employees the basics: how to walk, use camera controls, how to manipulate virtual objects and how to enable voice chat. These orientations are important, Keeter says, “So they’re not coming in not being able to know how to turn around and [not] bumping into walls and things like that.” These orientations sometimes take on a PR perspective. When hosting an event for a group of global business service consultants, Keeter and her team took the group on a pre-event tour of IBM islands, combining the instructive aspect of the orientation with a meet-and-greet phase.
One of the challenges in collaborating across a global environment is what Keeter describes as “the space time continuum problem,” coordinating the needs of a workforce stationed in a myriad of time zones. The only solution at this point, she says, is to simply run the meeting several times. Another issue Keeter and her team must deal with is technological compatibility. Although most employees use similar machines, the differences inherent in older or newer models can present problems, such as outdated video drivers. Difference in network bandwidth from country to country is also a problem, creating lag times, and, Keeter admits, “There’s nothing we can really do about that.”
The future of virtual environments is all about integration, according to Keeter: integrating virtual worlds with business enterprise applications or integrating real systems activity with virtual activity. IBM’s development of Same Time 3D is a good example of that kind of integration, an application built on the Open Sim platform which is currently in pilot with select clients. Shortly, Same Time 3D will be available as a software service. Another development Keeter sees in the future is simplicity: simplifying browser interfaces and making it easier for first time users to navigate the environment; or providing an “avatar identity service,” creating ease of movement from one platform to another. Lastly, she sees a great potential for learning in virtual worlds, a potential that some companies have begun to tap, “but I think there’s a lot more that can be done, and I see that as a future area.”
IBM has a strong presence on Second Life, growing from approximately 12 virtual islands to somewhere between 45 and 50 which are managed independently of IBM’s corporate home base. They run the gamut from IBM Germany, IBM Italy, a virtual business center and a virtual green data center, to name a few. With the explosion in globalized workforces, much of the emphasis is on bringing together remote employees. In a single day, Keener meets with teams in Germany, Australia, China, Michigan, Vermont and New York. She finds a virtual environment more productive than a conference call.
IBM currently maintains a virtual business center where potential clients can get product or technology information through a virtual environment as opposed to a website. Keeter sees this as the next logical step in marketing strategy as well as “another entry point for clients who are interested in learning more about us.” At this point, IBM does not currently offer direct sales through its Second Life presence, but the presence alone provides a model for lead generation and future sales.
When venturing into a virtual world for the first time, Keeter advocates orientation sessions so employees understand how to navigate those worlds. A one hour orientation is typical to teach employees the basics: how to walk, use camera controls, how to manipulate virtual objects and how to enable voice chat. These orientations are important, Keeter says, “So they’re not coming in not being able to know how to turn around and [not] bumping into walls and things like that.” These orientations sometimes take on a PR perspective. When hosting an event for a group of global business service consultants, Keeter and her team took the group on a pre-event tour of IBM islands, combining the instructive aspect of the orientation with a meet-and-greet phase.
One of the challenges in collaborating across a global environment is what Keeter describes as “the space time continuum problem,” coordinating the needs of a workforce stationed in a myriad of time zones. The only solution at this point, she says, is to simply run the meeting several times. Another issue Keeter and her team must deal with is technological compatibility. Although most employees use similar machines, the differences inherent in older or newer models can present problems, such as outdated video drivers. Difference in network bandwidth from country to country is also a problem, creating lag times, and, Keeter admits, “There’s nothing we can really do about that.”
The future of virtual environments is all about integration, according to Keeter: integrating virtual worlds with business enterprise applications or integrating real systems activity with virtual activity. IBM’s development of Same Time 3D is a good example of that kind of integration, an application built on the Open Sim platform which is currently in pilot with select clients. Shortly, Same Time 3D will be available as a software service. Another development Keeter sees in the future is simplicity: simplifying browser interfaces and making it easier for first time users to navigate the environment; or providing an “avatar identity service,” creating ease of movement from one platform to another. Lastly, she sees a great potential for learning in virtual worlds, a potential that some companies have begun to tap, “but I think there’s a lot more that can be done, and I see that as a future area.”
Tags: IBM, second life, vritual meetings
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