The Future of IT in the Metaverse: What IT Leaders Need to Know

Do your peers and colleagues constantly talk about the Metaverse or the technologies it employs? Do you feel as though you should know more? Well, don’t worry. This blog by yours truly describes what it is and what you (as an IT leader) need to know. Please keep reading to learn more, starting with what the Metaverse is.

This blog by @Joe_the_IT_Guy describes what the metaverse is and what you (as an IT leader) need to know. #ITSM #Metaverse Share on X

The Metaverse explained

“The Metaverse” refers to our physical and virtual worlds converging through technological changes. These changes include:

• Virtual reality (VR)
• Augmented reality (AR), and
• The internet’s evolution.

It was first described by Neal Stephenson in his 1992 science fiction novel “Snow Crash” as a virtual reality-based successor to the internet, where people interact as avatars in a shared, immersive digital world. 

So, the Metaverse has been a long time coming. You could argue that interest in it stalled after the global pandemic, with organizations initially focused on their survival and new working practices. Then artificial intelligence (AI) took center stage. Plus, consumer-world adoption was slower than expected (likely due to costs and “available use cases”). 

However, the Metaverse is far from dead. As I explain later, the technology giants are still investing in it, with virtual spaces still expected to be dominant in both the social and business worlds (driven by value-based use cases that alter how we all engage with the internet). Technology and how we use it will continue to change. After all, twenty years ago we wouldn’t have expected mobile phones and apps to be where they are now!

The #Metaverse is far from dead, says @Joe_the_IT_Guy. And, knowing about the Metaverse is vital to understanding the internet’s next evolution. #ITSM Share on X

Knowing about the Metaverse is vital to understanding the internet’s next evolution. In particular, that our physical and digital worlds will blend, transforming technology, communication, and business operations. And as an IT leader, it’s important to ensure that your corporate IT infrastructure can accommodate the needs of the Metaverse. 

Right now, it’s definitely not an “all in” bet, but rather ensuring that there’s sufficient flexibility to move quickly as and when the opportunities of the Metaverse are embraced by your organization. It’s important not to get overly distracted by AI (despite its current importance) as the only technology change; the promise of the Metaverse is still here, and it should still have a place in your IT organization’s strategic roadmap.

The Metaverse’s key components

Expanding on the introduction (and adding more detail), the Metaverse consists of:

• VR – immersive digital experiences that transport people into a virtual environment
• AR – digital content that overlays onto the physical world
• Blockchain – to enable the creation, trade, and monetization of digital assets
• AI – to power intelligent interactions, personalization, and automation within the Metaverse
• Internet of Things (IoT) devices – to connect the physical and virtual worlds.

What the Metaverse means for IT leaders

It could be argued that the Metaverse represents the next wave of digital transformation for IT leaders. But whether it is or isn’t, it will still likely play a significant role in shaping your IT infrastructure in the future, as well as the associated infrastructure, security, and service management needs (including the focus on end-user experiences).

It could be argued that the #Metaverse represents the next wave of digital transformation for IT leaders. Whether it is or isn’t, it will still likely play a significant role in shaping your IT infrastructure - @Joe_the_IT_Guy #ITSM Share on X

Early adopters are already using Metaverse capabilities. This includes gaming, retail, real estate, and educational organizations. These industries provide insights into what the Metaverse will mean for your organization’s and its industry’s IT capabilities. For example:

• The Metaverse requires robust and scalable IT infrastructure to support required amounts of data, real-time interactions, and high-performance computing.
• As the Metaverse grows, so do corporate IT concerns around data security, privacy, and digital identity.
• The Metaverse offers your organization new opportunities for digital transformation, from virtual collaboration and remote work to immersive customer experiences.
• The development and management of Metaverse technologies require new skills and expertise within your IT organization.
• As with AI adoption, the Metaverse will raise important ethical questions around digital inclusion, accessibility, and potential misuse.

The problem your IT organization has right now is, unless there are industry-specific use cases (like those just detailed), feeling confident that it will significantly affect how your employees work and customers interact with your organization. Hopefully, the following example use cases will help you appreciate the many Metaverse opportunities.

Examples of corporate IT use cases

As with other new technologies, we are probably still to discover the “killer” Metaverse use cases. However, these virtual capabilities already offer many opportunities to improve the corporate status quo.

There are various employee enablement opportunities, For example:

• Providing immersive virtual offices for collaboration, where geographically dispersed employees can interact in real-time using avatars, regardless of physical location.
• Creating Metaverse-based training programs that simulate real-world scenarios like customer interactions and equipment operation.
• Hosting company-wide meetings or industry conferences in the Metaverse to reduce travel time, costs, and carbon footprints.
• Providing virtual wellness spaces that allow employees to participate in guided yoga, meditation, or team-building activities.

#Metaverse capabilities already offer many opportunities to improve the corporate status quo, says @Joe_the_IT_Guy. Here he shares 12 examples of corporate IT use cases. #ITSM Share on X

The Metaverse can also be employed to help drive business innovation and optimization. For example:

• Creating physical asset digital twins to monitor their performance and simulate improvements virtually.
• Establishing innovation labs for cross-functional teams to collaborate virtually on ideation and product design in a simulated environment.
• Providing new IT support capabilities, where service desk agents visually guide end-users through troubleshooting steps or system configurations.

However, not all Metaverse opportunities are internally facing. Customer use cases include:

• Building interactive virtual showrooms and demos where customers can explore products and explore feature customizations.
• Offering virtual customer support to guide customers through troubleshooting or product setup.
• Creating virtual stores for customers to browse products and purchase without leaving their homes.
• Hosting virtual product launches or customer conferences to engage customers better.
• Building virtual communities so customers can connect, share experiences, and provide feedback.

High-profile companies have already invested in the Metaverse

As you might expect, the major tech companies have invested in the Metaverse, but many others have too. In terms of the “technology giants”:

• Meta has rebranded itself from Facebook to reflect its focus on building a virtual world.
• Microsoft has integrated Metaverse concepts into its enterprise solutions to enable collaborative experiences in mixed reality.
• Google and Alphabet continue to explore ways to integrate Metaverse technologies into its existing products and services.

Social media and communication are also investing. Snap Inc. (the Snapchat provider) has invested in AR technologies to enhance user experiences. In retail, Amazon has explored how to integrate Metaverse technologies via virtual stores and AR shopping experiences.

The Metaverse-related challenges your IT organization might face

While there are a wealth of opportunities for your organization to benefit from, these capabilities require your IT organization to deliver the technology to support them optimally. In doing this, it will need to traverse various challenges that include the following:

• Providing robust and scalable IT infrastructure, including low-latency connectivity and powerful computing resources to support the immersive experiences.
• Additional cybersecurity issues and new attack vectors, including avatar impersonation and virtual asset theft. Collecting and storing biometric data (e.g., from VR devices) also raises privacy concerns.
• The Metaverse ecosystem is fragmented, which hinders technology integration and user experiences.
• Building and maintaining Metaverse environments can be expensive, and demonstrating the return on investment (ROI) can be difficult.
• Developing and maintaining high-quality, immersive content for the Metaverse requires specialized skills and resources.
• The Metaverse operates in a largely unregulated space. Still, emerging laws around virtual assets, intellectual property, and digital identities could impact corporate use.
• The Metaverse may not align with the culture or values of all organizations, leading to resistance from leadership or employees.

'The key issue is knowing just when the #Metaverse will become a critical element of how your organization works and engages with customers.' - @Joe_the_IT_Guy #ITSM Share on X

The challenges are not insurmountable, and knowing them before entering the Metaverse is the first step in addressing them. The key issue is knowing just when the Metaverse will become a critical element of how your organization works and engages with customers. Right now, despite the examples I’ve shared, it’s hard to plot a timeline for the tipping point that will bring virtual spaces into the mainstream. It will happen though, and I’d be willing to bet that corporate use will again be driven by consumer-world successes.

What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments.