IBM Unveils Facility on Second Life

By theWHIR.com , August 12, 2008
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By Justin Lee, theWHIR.com

August 12, 2008 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- IBM (ibm.com) announced on Tuesday that it will unveil on Friday its new eco-friendly data center in the virtual world of Linden Lab's (lindenlab.com) Second Life (secondlife.com), according to reports on InformationWeek.com.

Using technology from King Fish Media (kingfishmedia.com) and hosted by On24.com (on24.com), the data center presentation will be webcasted on Friday to help promote the center, which will be secured by a private firewall in IBM's "green spot" in Second Life.

The webcast will feature IBM's Andrew Verdesca, program manager for the company's energy efficient technologies and services team, who will appear in both corporeal and Second Life avatar form.

IBM says it hopes to use the virtual data center to demonstrate its eco-friendly technologies and services. In fact, the company is increasingly using Second Life as an avenue to unveil new products, as well as research technologies.

In 2006 the company began a $100 million initiative that would research virtual worlds, while allocating a share of that fund towards new technology development.

In 2007, IBM and Linden Lab announced a joint agreement where they would create avatars that can move from one virtual world to another.

The companies worked alongside each other to create standards that, if broadly employed, would enable users to move their digital alter-egos seamlessly across online environments such as Second Life.

IBM says such universal standards will encourage the use of virtual worlds for more practical business purposes other than just gaming and entertainment. The company says it plans on creating online malls where users can browse stores, talk to "sales avatars," watch product demonstrations, and buy products.