Microsoft Cloud UAE Branch Supports Enterprises Entering the Metaverse

JAKARTA – Metaverse has become a hot topic in the past year, especially after Mark Zuckerberg announced the rebranding of Facebook to Meta. Meta is not the only company that will focus on the metaverse. Other technology companies including Microsoft are planning to do the same. However, this time the United Arab Emirates (UAE) branch of Microsoft Cloud announced its plans to support companies in the metaverse.

According to the plan, the UAE's Microsoft Cloud will offer public mixed reality integration services, as reported by local media Arab news on October 24 yesterday. It is aimed at bringing to life the grand vision of the company's metaverse.

Ihsan Anabtawi, COO of the UAE branch of Microsoft, revealed several products that are being worked on to bring the vision of the metaverse software giant to life.

Another US tech giant, Microsoft, views the metaverse through presence and connectedness in any space to enable people to build connections in a hybrid world. The company aims to engage employees and customers from workplaces in an immersive world for new experiences, such as taking on the role of creator and being part of a community.

Anatabwi believes that the metaverse is important in supporting the digital transformation of the UAE's workplace and streamlining operations and business models. Thus, the company plans to actualize its metaverse service on several products.

The first is a work-in-progress product - an Internet of Things (IoT) platform that leverages mixed reality technology to create digital representations of things, business processes, and people in the real world.

Then, Microsoft HoloLens2 which was launched in the UAE on July 20, 2022, is a headset that connects directly to the Microsoft Cloud for data analysis, iterative testing, and artificial intelligence. Companies can use device holographic technology to model physical products and analyze related data before investing.

The device also enables remote assistance in the medical field. It also allows developers to build any experience and for users to access team, collaborative and custom-built apps. In addition to customizing their avatars for meetings using Mesh, the tool helps to reimagine the meeting experience, according to Anabtawi.

Digital 365 Connected Spaces, currently under development, is one of Microsoft's products designed to model how people move and interact in any space to expand the adoption and experience of the metaverse, as summarized from CryptoSlate.