How to make the most of AR and VR

benefit from their immersive technology initiatives.

All of these businesses have taken steps to implement AR/VR technologies and have been more successful than their peers in making them work for their business. We assessed what they have in common, and identified four themes that others can learn from to accelerate their immersive technology programs.

First, put a centralised governance model in place to build awareness of immersive technologies and look for opportunities to implement them throughout the business. Some 78 percent of early achievers have dedicated central teams or innovation centers, compared with only 51 percent of other companies, where expertise is delegated to departments that have more limited access to expertise.

Second, invest in staff who have the skills required to push immersive technologies and integrate them with existing systems. Almost all early achiever companies (93 percent) are investing heavily in agile in-house teams and are reaping the rewards as a result.

Third, focus on applications of these technologies that provide support to employees in their day-to-day role. Half of all organisations struggle to identify the right use for immersive technology, but companies should not roll out AR and VR for the sake of it. Think about what the blocks are for your employees, what impedes their everyday tasks, and then think about how technology can help overcome these barriers.

Finally, organisations need to prepare their technology infrastructure to integrate AR and VR. These technologies need to integrate smoothly into existing systems and function seamlessly with legacy software and hardware. The theoretical application of VR and AR may be perfect, but it won’t help assist businesses operations if it doesn’t work properly from day one.

Businesses that get this right stand to benefit from immersive technologies that will become mainstream for more applications in the coming years. Those that don’t risk being left behind and struggling with outdated ways of working.