vComm Solutions of Zurich, Switzerland have announced their Enterprise solution-in-a-box for OpenSim at the LearnTec 2009 trade show in Germany. Called Aula the ready-to-run virtual environment is targeted at enterprise training needs, and provides meeting spaces, an auditorium and breakout areas alongside tools including Voice-over-IP, easy PowerPoint presentations and desktop sharing. The solution is based on OpenSim and can be hosted or installed locally behind a firewall.
The announcement on the companies website is currently only available in German, but it says roughly:
vComm aula is a complete virtual world, which is designed for training in the enterprise. Geographically dispersed users can work together in the highly realistic 3D environment. This saves travel and infrastructure costs. vComm aula is based on the platform OpenSim and can be installed on an Intranet.If you read German, more details of Aula are available at the LearnTec 2009 show website
I was lucky enough to get a tour of the virtual spaces a while ago, since they also exist in Second Life, and I believe that the facilities in SL can also be rented, or set up as a private sim. I can tell you that Volker Gaessler and his team have done a great job. The quality of the architecture and furnishings is first rate and the feeling of being in a real meeting is quite strong. The presentation screen and the associated web uploader make displaying presentation slides a quick and simple affair. I haven't seen the desktop sharing as this is currently only available in OpenSim, but I hope to soon. This is a very promising project for any enterprise that wants to get started in using virtual environments with the minimum of effort. The current polar conditions in the UK mean a lot of people stuck at home - wouldn't this just be perfect for allowing them to keep working together?