IBM Releases Virtual Collaboration for Lotus Sametime

IBM has announced that its 3D conferencing product, Virtual Collaboration for Lotus Sametime (VCS), is now available for purchase.

VCS, also known as Sametime 3D, is a service that allows co-workers from different locations to meet in a 3D space using their Sametime instant messaging system. The product offers two differentiating selling points compared with Second Life and other virtual environments. First, users are seen using their real names (there are no unrecognizable nicknames), and second, the program exists behind the company's firewall. Users can communicate using voice or chat protocols and can share presentations or write on virtual flip charts.

"College students love to learn and meet in virtual worlds. Although we can already conduct class through other worlds, there is little classroom control or security. Instructors can't always tell who is present," said Chet Strebe, Chief Information Officer, Northcentral Technical College in Wisconsin, which offers on-line courses and has students in 11 counties.

"With IBM's new virtual meeting service, teachers would be able to tell which students are present and better control the environment."

Northcentral Technical College was one of a few locations to test pilot the program over the last six months. Other industries to try out VCS included aerospace and defense, consumer products, staffing and manufacturing.

"Virtual Collaboration for Lotus Sametime is part of IBM's ongoing work to redefine the nature of on-line meetings," said John Allessio, vice president, IBM Software Services for Lotus. "Whether through improvements to Web conferencing capabilities or with tools such as VCS, IBM is offering new ways to engage and collaborate, making meetings more effective and productive. The timing is perfect for this new offering as it facilitates effective meetings and brainstorming without the time and expense of travel."

Internally, over 2,500 IBM employees have tested VCS, using it for meetings where co-creation of material is required. IBM is also working with Vivox to improve its VoIP capabilities, and will eventually use the company's spatial voice technology. A plug-in is required but users can also use VCS using a Web interface.

Here is a demo video:

Comments

[used computers]

Hope this works better then livelotus as many new features are mentioned.

[cheap computers]

I think the IBM model works really well. If your company is struggling with blogs and employee bloggers, think about emulating some of what IBM has pioneered her