The Metaverse and its impact on future work models

The Metaverse and its impact on future work models

Paulo Asano, CEO of Populos, tells us how the Metaverse will impact hybrid work models.

Paulo Asano, CEO of Populos

The Metaverse is a new definition for existing technologies. The term was coined in the 1990s by writer Neal Stephenson in the best seller Snow Crash, in which he already foresaw a digital reality he called the Metaverse. The current concept of the Metaverse comprises a collective and shared digital space, the result of the union of Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and the Internet.

From literature to real life, the word has gained popularity. Since last year, it has been one of the most searched keywords on Google, especially after Mark Zuckerberg, Founder of Facebook, announced that he would change the company to Meta Platforms Inc.

Betting on the Metaverse as the future of the Internet, he announced heavy investments in development, equipment and people – US$150 million in the training of programmers alone.

We are not talking about recent technology. VR and AR are already known and discussed concepts in everyday life, and most people already use one of them without realizing it.

A typical example of AR that we access in everyday life is Instagram filters. And anyone who has been to a 3D movie session at least once has had the opportunity to experience VR.

At the beginning of the millennium, Second Life, a virtual and three-dimensional environment that simulates the real and social life of the human being through the interaction between avatars, already allowed the user to get closer to this experience that we are currently calling the future of the Internet.

Today, popular games like Roblox and Fortnite are icons of a digital environment where there are things that are never going to be touched by human hands, such as clothing and accessories for the characters.

Virtual money (cryptocurrency) is another present reality that attracts new investors (or miners) every day. Currently, the best-known digital currencies are Bitcoin and Ethernun, circulating on Blockchain networks, where operations are carried out through collaborative validations.

With the deployment of 5G, the next 10 years will mean a leap into the Metaverse. Marty Resnick, VP, Gartner, recently said that 25% of people will spend time in the digital world by 2026 when 30% of the world’s organizations will have products and services online.

We are talking about productive ‘fronts’ that range from industry to retail. Imagine an electrical system operator, now used to operating six or eight monitors simultaneously.

In terms of the Metaverse, he will only need a pair of glasses to manage 15 (or more) interactive and responsive panels. This same technology will allow doctors to analyze and interact with X-ray exams without the need to position themselves in front of a computer.

Due to its relevance, the topic was highlighted at the Mobile World Congress, held in early March in Spain.

The debates addressed the bottlenecks and needs for implementing the Metaverse and the growth of the IoE (Internet of Everything).

Digital Transformation in work models

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the ‘Work From Anywhere’ process, however, distancing does not have to be synonymous with isolation, and solutions adapted for the Metaverse will lessen the obstacle of distance, opening up countless opportunities for inclusion in the collaborative environment.

In addition, the new generation of talent will be even more connected and increasingly seeking innovation. Companies that do not adapt to technological evolution will certainly not be regarded as options for this new era of professionals.

In the new hybrid work models or geographically distributed operations, the Metaverse will be the natural path for engagement, networking and people management, expanding the functionality of collaborative tools and allowing, for example, the ability to project graphics and images in virtual meeting rooms, or interaction with computers and employees remotely.

Soon, all this data flow will run in multiple clouds on Edge Computing with the speed of 5G. But the market is already moving around an even stronger band, 6G, which should solve range and latency problems still seen in current connections, leading to new challenges in cybersecurity and compliance.

Infrastructure and ESG

When companies increasingly need to be attentive to environmental, social and corporate governance issues, determined by the criteria of what is called ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance), people management goes hand in hand with environmental preservation.

This competitive need should lead organizations to choose to reduce their physical infrastructure, strengthening the concept of the ‘Workplace of the Future’. It includes reducing the high costs of energy and space occupied by data centers with hyper-convergence solutions.

Today we can already reduce entire servers to small drawers, in equipment with better performance and greater flexibility, managing data in a multicloud environment.

With the evolution of broadband and the growth of scalable and up-to-date Software-as-a-Service, the consolidation of a formal connected economy will occur in all sectors.

It will be driven by a movement of global brands such as Nike, Ralph Lauren and Gucci that have already been consolidating operations in the Metaverse.

In Brazil, Itaú and Lojas Renner, for example, already operate in the virtual world, both in partnership with Fortnite. The future has arrived! Is your company prepared for this evolution?

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