Despite a high failure rate by first adopters, Gartner sees an important future for virtual worlds as a tool for internal collaboration.t Nine out of ten businesses that have launched virtual worlds saw them fail in 18 months or less, according to a recent research from Gartner, which faulted companies for getting hung up on the technology rather than thinking about how people use it. RELATED LINKS Companies Explore Virtual Worlds As Collaboration Tools Inside Sun’s Virtual World for Internal Collaboration This Is Not a Game: Virtual Worlds Coming to Your Business, Forrester Predicts “Businesses have learned some hard lessons,” says Steve Prentice, vice president and fellow at Gartner. “They need to realize that virtual worlds mark the transition from Web pages to Web places and a successful virtual presence starts with people, not physics.” The adoption of virtual worlds for the enterprise began picking up steam this year, buoyed by the success of Second Life, a 3-D environment in the consumer space where people interact with one another as avatars (virtual representations of themselves). Other consultancies, such as Forrester, predicted virtual worlds would rival the internet in overall importance to businesses. Many companies implemented virtual worlds to help with internal collaboration, including Sun Microsystems, whose MPK20 provides a virtual extension to the company’s corporate campus in Menlo Park. Despite the high failure rate, the research, which was released at the Gartner Emerging Trends Symposium/ITxpo 2008 in Barcelona, did indicate virtual worlds will catch on as companies understand what types of use cases work best for implementing them. By 2012, around 70 percent of organizations will have set up private virtual worlds, Gartner predicts. Virtual worlds set up for employees to collaborate internally will have a high success rate because of “lower expectations, clearer objectives and better constraints.” The other upside to virtual worlds for the enterprise: cost. According to Gartner, the cost of implementing a corporate virtual platform averages $50,000, and cheaper trials can cost $5,000. The report argues this low-cost will encourage more experimentation by businesses. Related content brandpost Sponsored by Rocket Software Why data virtualization is critical for business success Data is your most valuable resource—but only if you can access it fast enough to address present challenges. Data virtualization is the key. By Milan Shetti, CEO of Rocket Software Nov 28, 2023 4 mins Digital Transformation brandpost Sponsored by Rocket Software The hybrid approach: Get the best of both mainframe and cloud Cloud computing and modernization often go hand in hand, but that doesn’t mean the mainframe should be left behind. A hybrid approach offers the most value, enabling businesses to get the best of both worlds. By Milan Shetti, CEO Rocket Software Nov 28, 2023 4 mins Digital Transformation brandpost Sponsored by Rimini Street Dear Oracle Cloud…I need my own space Access results from a recent Rimini Street survey about why enterprises are rethinking their Oracle relationship and cloud strategy. By Tanya O'Hara Nov 28, 2023 5 mins Cloud Computing brandpost Sponsored by Rimini Street How to evolve IT systems into innovation engines Today’s IT leaders are more than eager to modernize with best-fit cloud solutions that drive innovation and rapid business impact, but they need to do so with ROI-based solutions. By Tanya O'Hara Nov 28, 2023 4 mins IT Leadership Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe