SharePoint in VR? Virtual Reality SharePoint Spaces coming this year from Microsoft

SharePoint Spaces, a tool originally revealed in 2018 at the SharePoint Virtual Summit, is now available in private preview. As noted in a post by Upload, SharePoint Spaces is one step closer to being generally available. SharePoint Spaces will be available for use with the Microsoft HoloLens and Oculus Quest, along with other Windows Mixed Reality headsets sometime in the next few months.

According to Microsoft, SharePoint Spaces will allow anyone to create mixed reality experiences where data, documents, and files can be used “empowering everyone to create visually compelling spaces that are available to anyone, on any device.” SharePoint Spaces will allow users to create content in these three areas.

1. Recruiting and onboarding​—Recruits or new employees can learn about a company in a compelling, 360-degee virtual welcome and orientation, including a 360-degree video message from leadership. They can navigate the campus or building with 3D maps, learn the organizational structure with an interactive organization chart, or explore rich information about coworkers and the organization’s products.

2. Learning—With mixed reality, learning comes to life by captivating your focus and attention. Gain broad perspective with a panoramic view of a topic and learning objectives. Then explore personalized, relevant, and dynamic content. Ignite your curiosity by discovering new insights, and dive deep into topics that matter to you. Learn not just by reading or watching, but by experiencing, with your senses engaged.

3. Product development—Create an inspiring space for your team to spark innovation. Surround yourself with experts to look at data, content, and processes from every angle. Explore a prototype in 3D to identify new opportunities, attach annotations, and visualize improvements.SharePoint Spaces will be integrated within SharePoint offering users a user-friendly experience. SharePoint users will be able to see a preview of their work in a VR space once uploaded. SharePoint Spaces will also support other media content, including 360 photos and videos, and 3D models and objects.

If you are interested in taking part in the SharePoint Spaces private preview, sign-ups are here. Do you think SharePoint Spaces will be a useful VR tool for companies? Let us know in the comments.