HPE Visual Remote Guidance: 3 top use cases for the hybrid workplace

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Businesses keep finding new ways to generate value with HPE’s real-time global collaboration solution. HPE Pointnext Services can help your organization do the same.

By Garry Orsolini, Director of Technology - Network, Workplace, & IoT Services, HPE GreenLake

Most people are familiar with some type of virtual reality experience from the consumer space, perhaps from trying out some gaming equipment – even if it’s borrowed from the kids! If you’ve ever found yourself immersed in one of those engaging virtual worlds, you’ll understand why so many organizations are craving ways to translate augmented reality into the business world. Use cases range from training and education to performing maintenance on facilities and equipment.

You may be surprised to learn how far companies have traveled down that road. Many businesses are either in the early deployment stage for augmented reality initiatives or have completed at least a limited rollout.

Companies are realizing that AR technologies such as HPE Visual Remote Guidance (VRG) deliver a very solid investment return. In my previous blog, I explained how HPE VRG has demonstrated its value as a pillar of the modern hybrid workplace, enabling employees to connect with the right people, with the right data, in a matter of minutes. (See: HPE VRG: A workhorse solution for the new digital workplace.) When talking with current and potential customers about HPE VRG, an example I often give is the cost benefit of connecting an expert via HPE VRG to workers at a remote site to help them replace a machine part, contrasted with the cost of flying out an expert to the site.

Here are the top three ways that I see companies leveraging HPE VRG:

1. See-what-I-see. This is the classic full, rich collaboration for remote field support. The support engineer or other experts see what the remote worker sees and provides real-time guidance and interaction, enhanced with video telestration, text chat, and real-time language translations.

In addition to this type of synchronous interaction, AR technologies can also provide asynchronous capabilities, enabling a user to work independently. For example, an individual might use a wearable, mobile phone, or tablet to scan a QR code or barcode (or use AI-based object recognition to identify a particular piece of equipment), and then bring up a video, some relevant documentation, or an overlay of the equipment being physically inspected or repaired.

2. Employee training. This is clearly a great candidate for synchronous support. In our HPE VLabs training centers, for example, this is one way we deliver technical instruction. One or more instructors use voice-activated hands-free wearables while talking about a piece of hardware, engaging with any number of students working remotely. The students can see the instructor’s hands interacting with the equipment and can ask questions through the learning session.

3. Knowledge capture. Augmented reality technologies can be helpful not only in distributing knowledge to maximize its value, but also to preserve it for future consumption. Practical, “as-built” knowledge isn’t always easy to capture – it’s in folks’ heads. So the question is, how do you transfer it to people new to the workforce? With HPE VRG, you can record an expert performing a maintenance procedure, for example, while explaining what’s involved, ensuring capture of that specific knowledge.

There’s a demographic element here, too. It tends to be experienced workers who have the most highly developed expertise. As they head into retirement, these folks might well be interested in continuing to contribute to the business. With a simple network connection (Wi-Fi, 3/4/5G, or soon low latency satellite) and most mobile technology, these valuable resources could be the ‘expert on call’ from wherever they happen to be, whether it’s two blocks away or on a beach in Papua New Guinea.

Whatever use case you have in mind, IT consultation services from HPE Pointnext Services can help you make it a reality and ensure that it delivers the business outcomes you’re looking for.

Learn more about HPE VRG and how it can boost productivity, increase efficiency and decrease costs for your organization.

Learn how HPE can help you maximize productivity and organizational resilience with a secure, seamless, safe digital workplace.

Garry Orsolini is a Technology Director for HPE IoT Advisory and Professional Services. He has been involved with technical innovation for over thirty-five years. Garry manages worldwide engineering teams responsible for HPE's MyRoom VRG R&D.

Garry holds three patents for collaboration software. He understands how global organizations can best utilize Collaboration Enabled Business Processes (CEBP) to enhance organizational efficiencies. He received his BA in Philosophy from Eastern Nazarene College, Quincy, MA, and a MS-MIS from California State University, Sacramento, CA.

Currently, Garry’s organization is focusing on connecting the latest wearable and mobility devices securely to the enterprise to change the landscape of service delivery and remote support and training via AI-enhanced solutions. Garry lives in Sacramento, CA.

Contact Garry on LinkedIn:

@GOrsolini

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