Press Conference

Second Life

“By 2012, more than 70 percent of organizations will use private virtual worlds to support internal collaboration and social interaction,” according to Gartner, a research and advisory group.
A press conference was given today by Brett Atwood, a web content strategist for Linden Lab, speaking about their new open Beta program for its behind-the-firewall product, Second Life Enterprise that launched today.
According to Atwood, the Second Life program is one that simulates real world interaction through a web based program. The point of this is for a company’s employees to be able to collaborate and interact with one another without the expenses and hassle of travel. Through this program individuals can have meetings, socialize, do office work, and even use simulation training.
Atwood went on to say that up to 800 users can login and work together at any one given time. This can save literally hundreds of thousands of dollars in travel costs that would normally be accrued for members of a company across a nation to meet together.
The Second Life Enterprise has over one billion virtual items created for its program, the Beta program is already in use by 14 organizations including IBM, Naval Undersea Warfare Center, DefenseWeb Technologies as well as many others.
More than 1,400 organizations around the world use Second Life for training, and holding meetings. The new Beta program comes with both software and hardware so that a company can have ultimate security making its virtual world, non-accessible to any outsiders. Because of the sophistication and the hardware of this program the Beta version of the Second Life Enterprise runs at a price of $55,000.
According to Atwood the Second Life Enterprise is state of the art technology, using its immersive 3D platform including audio one can map out anything from geographical regions to DNA strands, while hearing sounds from behind, in front and from all sides within the 3D world.
While the Second Life Enterprise is not a replacement for meetings, offices, training etc. it is a great solution for many situations, and can save companies money from traveling expenses as well as cutting carbon emissions making a company a greener environment.