If the current pandemic has done one thing it has been as an accelerant to all things ‘virtual’. Virtual communication, meetings, healthcare, collaboration and training. And of course virtual reality.

For the last few years organisations piloting virtual reality and augmented reality (XR) solutions and experiences may typically have engaged a technology company to develop a “one off” stand-alone XR solution or experience.

Our latest release of Snobal Cloud enables customers to use video streaming within a virtual environment. Customers can also now enable access by multiple simultaneous users from diverse geographic locations to one virtual environment. Read

Little attention may have been given to broader strategic business issues raised by the use of XR such as change management or the role of XR in an organisations broader digital transformation as well as its potential to develop new business channels.

Now the pandemic coupled with rapid advancements in XR hardware and value capture obtained from XR solutions has changed this dynamic.

There is now a greater acceptance of the value of XR solutions across diverse business applications including collaboration, education, customer engagement, design and development and training, which is motivating organisations to focus not just on using XR to solve business problems but on looking at how best to scale and manage solutions effectively.

So what do organisations need to consider when implementing and scaling XR?

We suggest focussing attention on four core areas.

In case you missed it

XR Healthcare industry report
This week the VRARA turned their attention to XR in healthcare with the release of their “2020 Healthcare Industry Sector Report” and a profile of the top 50  VR and AR  businesses & startups operating in the space. You can find Snobal on p.39 . Read.

Blast from the past – VR and museums
In 2015 we wrote about how museums and art galleries could leverage VR to digitize their collections and increase access to a larger audience not constrained by physical locations.

With the pandemic and the resultant closure of museums for the last few months, the blog post resonates even more so we thought we would share.

The Smithsonian Institution — the world’s largest museum and research complex which has 19 museums and galleries has apparently 137 million artifacts, works of art and specimens in its collection with an estimated 2 percent on display at any one time. Museum Victoria in Melbourne, Australia holds 16 million items in “high-quality storage facilities”. The British Museum is reported to have 99 per cent of its collection in storage. 99 percent! Imagine if these museums made all their collections available through building online virtual museums? A museum would be able to exponentially grow its audience share and offer to a global audience 24/7 364 days of the year access to all their collections currently in storage. Not to mention providing these museums with a channel for additional revenue generation through purchase of products from the virtual museum.

Other news catching our attention

Universities in Singapore ramp up use of VR
The pandemic has caused Singapore universities to accelerate their use of digital technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality in the face of the pandemic. Read.

Asia Pacific expected to register significant growth for VR and AR

Due to high economic growth, countries such as China and India are expected to witness considerable adoption of VR and AR solutions over coming years. Read.

Trends and technologies defining the future of healthcare
The pandemic has cast a spotlight on healthcare and healthtech. What impact will technologies like AI, 5G and XR have on healthcare? Read.

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DATE:
24 September 2020