Augmented reality has been gaining attention for its capabilities in the workplace, as a growing number of businesses have started experimenting with the technology to provide interactive content. Companies are also using virtual reality, such as with finding new ways to display products to an online audience.
To gain a deeper understanding of how representational digital tools will become more commonplace in the work setting, Digital Journal caught up with Craig Williams, CIO of Ciena (a supplier of telecommunications hardware, software, and services).
According to Williams, inspiration for new AR and VR products will come from the gaming sector: “It is no secret that the global pandemic catalyzed a monumental shift in the way we work, causing a surge in remote work, education and life in general. All that said – people greatly miss the ability to interact and collaborate in person and in spaces other than their home office or kitchen table.”
Looking ahead, Williams explains: “In 2021, I predict that we will take the gaming experiences powered by virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) and mesh it with the Enterprise world to solve issues like remote work, learning, technical support, customer engagement and more.”
And drawing upon his own experiences, the analyst says: “In fact, at Ciena, we have leveraged VR and AR to work with contract manufacturing sites so that we can virtually instruct our partners on product design. We also started using VR and AR in our labs for customer demonstrations and for our own IT tech support to remote offices. CIOs and others in the field of IT have a unique opportunity in 2021 to help shape the future of work and further enhance the way we collaborate virtually.”
