May 12, 2021 – Continuing on from yesterday’s news at VIVECON 2021, HTC VIVE’s own global virtual reality (VR) conference, the company also announced at the event yesterday its newest business VR offering with the introduction of its VIVE Business platform – a complete suite of software and services, aimed at supporting the needs of businesses looking to benefit from XR. This announcement was in addition to its newly unveiled enterprise-focused VIVE Focus 3 headset and its new consumer VIVE Pro 2 device.
The VIVE Business platform offers a scalable and secure suite of XR software and services, and helps make things easier for businesses with regards to deployment, maintenance, remote support, training needs, and more, according to HTC VIVE.
Part of the platform is the VIVE Business Device Management System, which is a simple MDM and is ISO certified, allowing IT departments to see the status of each VIVE Focus 3 device on a network, remotely install new business apps, update software, and more. The VIVE Focus 3 is designed to work with Android Enterprise MDM, so it can also slot into pre-existing MDM solutions already active in a company’s setup.
For business applications, building on HTC’s consumer VIVEPORT store, there is the VIVE Business AppStore, which features a curated collection of apps and tools, covering areas such as training, communication, and visualisation. Companies are able to pick an app off-the-shelf, or even get in touch with app creators to ask for tailored tweaks and solutions from apps.
Another aspect of the platform is ‘VIVE Business Training’, which is designed to support training sessions of any size. Training leaders can observe the progress of each trainee via an Android device, and highlight the next steps needed whilst talking the trainee through a session, even in a class size of hundreds. There is also VIVE Business Streaming, which supports connecting VIVE Focus 3 to a PC via a cable, with fully wireless streaming support coming in the future, according to HTC.
Finally, VIVE Sync allows users to meet in VR with realistic avatars to discuss business, host presentations, examine 3D models, teach a class, and more. Originally built as an internal communications tool to support collaboration on product design, VIVE Sync was launched in Beta in 2020. Now, VIVE Sync is launching in Pro and Enterprise versions, offering different new environments, tools, and ways to interact. The solution allows everyday files to be brought into VR, including Microsoft PowerPoint presentations and 3D formats. HTC states that VIVE Sync is well suited for groups of up to 30 people, and for larger groups, the company offers its XR Suite.
HTC stated that VIVE Business will see new tools and features added in the future, delivering a continuously updated suite of business solutions. However, for organisations that simply want to benefit from HTC VIVE’s hardware, they can choose to take up VIVE Business services, or they can simply pay a one-off cost for their VIVE Focus 3 headsets and integrate them into an existing setup, with no recurring fees and the ability to use their hardware as they choose to. For more information on HTC VIVE’s virtual reality solutions for business and enterprise, visit the company’s website.
Image credit: HTC VIVE
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Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.