VIRTUAL WORLDS

‘IN’ OR ‘OUT’ FOR BUSINESS APPLICATIONS?

Greenwich Team 4

Alexandra Bayet Christina Alvarado Atman Bhesdadiya Anastasia Toumazou Daniel Marczinek Jargalan AmarsaikhanAvatarina

SALESe.g. Miss Sixty P

UB

LIC

* STA

RD

OL

L

BRANDING, ADVERTISING & CR

e.g. AUDI PU

BL

IC* 3

D C

ITY

EDUCATION & RESEARCH e.g. Edinburgh University P

UB

LIC

* SE

CO

ND

LIF

E

PU

BL

IC* H

AB

BO

RECRUITMENTe.g. Bundeswehr

COLLABORATIONe.g. IBM

INT

ER

NA

L * T- S

YS

TE

S

MM

SP

UB

LIC

* AC

TIV

EW

OR

LD

S

TRAINING e.g. IBM (Academy of Technology)

INT

ER

NA

L * T- S

YS

TE

S

MM

SP

UB

LIC

* SE

CO

ND

LIF

E

Athina Chimaridou - IBM Employee Cyprus

“You can hear live the teacher speaking, you can raise your hand to ask a question or you can text your question . I found the environment very interesting”.

NEW EMPLOYEE ORIENTATIONe.g. Super Buy IN

TE

RN

AL

* T- SY

ST

ES

M

MS

PU

BL

IC* S

EC

ON

D L

IFE

SIMULATIONe.g. US Marine Corps

INT

ER

NA

L * T- S

YS

TE

S

MM

SP

UB

LIC

* OP

EN

SIM

Tobias Dreher – T-Systems Learning & knowledge Consultant“Internal virtual worlds are used for training-simulation 75% of the time.” 

INT

ER

NA

L * T- S

YS

TE

S

MM

SP

UB

LIC

* SE

CO

ND

LIF

EDEVELOPMENT

e.g. Palomar Hospital

Hybrid Events e.g. CEBIT

INT

ER

NA

L * T- S

YS

TE

S

MM

SP

UB

LIC

* SE

CO

ND

LIF

E

IBMONE COMPANY, SIX WORLDS

Platform Selection considerations Use in IBM EnterpriseActive Worlds

Scalable Events

Forterra OLIVE

Quick on-boarding & Voice integrationPre-built spaces & presentation facilities

Pilot deployment for early adopters includes team meetings & small events

OpenSim Familiar interface for Second Life usersWide scope for IBM community involvement & contribution BSD licensing: Anyone can get involved in development

Meetings, small events, Brainstorming, Community, Translation, 2D-3D integration, Region Interoperability, Data-center modelling & management

Second Life

Publicly accessible and familiar to some users ScalableVoice integration

Events and meetings, Employee orientation, Learning, Business rehearsals, Serious games, Systems management, Interoperability with OpenSim

Torque Simple interfaceQuick on-boardingHigh fidelityLow workstation requirementsControl for 2D integration

Remote mentoring, Small events, Brainstorming, 2D-3D integrationData center modeling

Unity3D Web browser based deploymentLight weight & customizable

Proof-of-concepts: Demonstrate 2-3D integration & interoperability between worlds

ISSUES

• Technological

• unreliable systems

• incompatible networks

• Slow broadband

• slow computers

• traffic congestions

• redesign of entire information system may be necessary

• IT security

• Legal

• Confidentiality

• Ethics

• Copyright infringement

ISSUES

• Organisational • Less loyalty• Less real-world interaction• Lack of control• Limited target audience• Viability

• Cultural• Lack non-verbal cues• Identity problem• Addiction

George Kyriakoullis, Computer Scientist DITS Officer" It is addictive as hell!»

BENEFITS

• Help to establish trust

• Help to overcome geographical distances

• Increase knowledge resources and capabilities

• Enable 24 hour learning

• Help to prevent real-life errors

• Time saving

Michalis Simillis – Computer Scientist DITS Officer" Disabled people can play as otherwise could not

experience the war!"

BENEFITS

• Green workplace

• Real-time

• Immersive

• Cost saving

• Efficient

• Effective

• Highly involving

George Georgiou – IBM Director Cyprus" Sky is the limit”

" In the future,due to the economic crisis,

we might use it to manage teams"

REFERENCES

Kimble, Chris, Barlow, Alexis and Li, Feng, Effective Virtual Teams through Communities of Practice (September 2000). Strathclyde Business School Management Science Working Paper No. 2000/9. pp, 5-13Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=634645 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.634645

Seshasai, Satwik, Malter, Alan J. and Gupta, Amar, The Use of Information Systems in Collocated and Distributed Teams: A Test of the 24-Hour Knowledge Factory (September 21, 2006). Eller College of Management Working Paper No. 1034-06. Pp, 10-32. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=935106 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.935106

OECD (2011), Virtual worlds: IMMERSIVE ONLINE PLATFORMS FOR COLLABORATION, CREATIVITY AND LEARNING .OECD DIGITAL ECONOMY PAPERS, No 184. OECD Publishing. Available at: http://search.proquest.com/docview/874045972?accountid=78988

 Centaur Communications Ltd (2007), GLOBAL TRENDS?- VIRTUAL B2B: You only live twice.  Brand Strategy, 14-15. Available at: http://search.proquest.com/docview/224179527?accountid=78988

Saggi Nevo, Dorit Nevo and Erran Carmel (2012). „Unlocking the Business Potential of Virtual Worlds “ MITSloan Management Review. Accessed in 19th April 2011at http://sloanreview.mit.edu/the-magazine/2011-spring/52311/unlocking-the-business-potential-of-virtual-worlds/

Sherman Aliza (2011) „Virtual Worlds: Immersive Training, Collaboration and Meetings “ GigaOM. Accessed on 19th April, 2012 at http://gigaom.com/collaboration/virtual-environments-for-training-collaboration-and-meetings/

Ives and Junglas (2008). APC Forum: Business Implications of Virtual Worlds and Serious Gaming . MIS Quarterly Executive Vol. 7 No. 3 / Sep 2008. (PDF).

George Georgiou. 2012. How virtual world is being used by IBM,

Natasa Toumazou, [Telephone Conference] Nicosia and London,

Cyprus, 5/04/2012

Athina Chimaridou. 2012. How virtual worlds is being used by

IBM, Natasa Toumazou [Telephone Conference] Nicosia and

London, 5/04/2012

George Kyriakoullis . 2012. Have you ever used virtual world and

how?, Panagiota Toumazou [Face to face interview] Nicosia,

4/04/2012

Michalis Simillis , 2012. Have you ever used virtual world and

how?, Panagiota Toumazou [Face to face interview] Nicosia,

4/04/2012

Cherbakov, L., Bruneer, R., Smart, R. and Lu, C., 2009. Virtual Spaces

Enabling Immersive Collaborative Enterprise, Part 1: Introduction to the

opportunities and technologies, IBM [online] Available at: <http://www.

ibm.com/developerworks/webservices/library/ws-virtualspaces/>

[Accessed 18 April 2012]

Korolov, M., 2009. IBM: four OpenSim regions for $50,000, Hypergrid

Business, [online] Available at: http://www.hypergridbusiness.

com/2009/07/ibm-offers-four-opensim-regions-for-50000/ [Accessed 19

April 2012]

REFERENCES

Kimble, Chris, Barlow, Alexis and Li, Feng, Effective Virtual Teams through Communities of Practice (September 2000). Strathclyde Business School Management Science Working Paper No. 2000/9. pp, 5-13Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=634645 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.634645

Seshasai, Satwik, Malter, Alan J. and Gupta, Amar, The Use of Information Systems in Collocated and Distributed Teams: A Test of the 24-Hour Knowledge Factory (September 21, 2006). Eller College of Management Working Paper No. 1034-06. Pp, 10-32. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=935106 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.935106

OECD (2011), Virtual worlds: IMMERSIVE ONLINE PLATFORMS FOR COLLABORATION, CREATIVITY AND LEARNING .OECD DIGITAL ECONOMY PAPERS, No 184. OECD Publishing. Available at: http://search.proquest.com/docview/874045972?accountid=78988

 Centaur Communications Ltd (2007), GLOBAL TRENDS?- VIRTUAL B2B: You only live twice.  Brand Strategy, 14-15. Available at: http://search.proquest.com/docview/224179527?accountid=78988

Saggi Nevo, Dorit Nevo and Erran Carmel (2012). „Unlocking the Business Potential of Virtual Worlds “ MITSloan Management Review. Accessed in 19th April 2011at http://sloanreview.mit.edu/the-magazine/2011-spring/52311/unlocking-the-business-potential-of-virtual-worlds/

Sherman Aliza (2011) „Virtual Worlds: Immersive Training, Collaboration and Meetings “ GigaOM. Accessed on 19th April, 2012 at http://gigaom.com/collaboration/virtual-environments-for-training-collaboration-and-meetings/

Ives and Junglas (2008). APC Forum: Business Implications of Virtual Worlds and Serious Gaming . MIS Quarterly Executive Vol. 7 No. 3 / Sep 2008. (PDF).

George Georgiou. 2012. How virtual world is being used by IBM,

Natasa Toumazou, [Telephone Conference] Nicosia and London,

Cyprus, 5/04/2012

Athina Chimaridou. 2012. How virtual worlds is being used by

IBM, Natasa Toumazou [Telephone Conference] Nicosia and

London, 5/04/2012

George Kyriakoullis . 2012. Have you ever used virtual world and

how?, Panagiota Toumazou [Face to face interview] Nicosia,

4/04/2012

Michalis Simillis , 2012. Have you ever used virtual world and

how?, Panagiota Toumazou [Face to face interview] Nicosia,

4/04/2012

Cherbakov, L., Bruneer, R., Smart, R. and Lu, C., 2009. Virtual Spaces

Enabling Immersive Collaborative Enterprise, Part 1: Introduction to the

opportunities and technologies, IBM [online] Available at: <http://www.

ibm.com/developerworks/webservices/library/ws-virtualspaces/>

[Accessed 18 April 2012]

Korolov, M., 2009. IBM: four OpenSim regions for $50,000, Hypergrid

Business, [online] Available at: http://www.hypergridbusiness.

com/2009/07/ibm-offers-four-opensim-regions-for-50000/ [Accessed 19

April 2012]