Virtual worlds catching on in workplace

Posted by Jim Stroud

October 11, 2007

Cisco Systems doesn’t believe business ends at the virtual water’s edge.

The San Jose company owns four islands in the virtual online world Second Life, each populated with pavilions for product demonstrations, training and meetings.

But its push into virtual work spaces - where offices and conference rooms exist inside computers instead of concrete - reaches well beyond Second Life’s quirky environment of flying “avatars,” or digital people.

The network-equipment maker launched a virtual site for business partners and service providers a month ago where visitors can wander among product exhibits. It also set up virtual workrooms where engineers, represented by avatars, collaborate on new designs, despite being spread around the world. The company plans to make the virtual workrooms available to all its employees in 2008.

With its interest in virtual environments, Cisco has placed itself on the leading edge of a workplace transformation now creeping into U.S. corporations. The goal is to enhance communications and productivity as workforces go global - the effect may be a radically different office of tomorrow.

“This technology is just coming of age,” said Christian Renaud, chief architect of Cisco’s networked virtual environments. “It is at a crossroads. It’s either going to get really big or stay boutique.”

Advocates say virtual worlds offer new ways for people to collaborate and foster workplace interaction in an age of dispersed employees.

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