frontline.io is a leading enterprise XR industry player that provides an XR software as a service (SaaS) product that allows clients to design and deliver AR/VR/MR workplace applications for various devices, from XR headsets to computers, tablets, and smartphones.
frontline.io is currently working in a deep partnership with HP’s xRServices sector to provide the famed computing firm with an XR application stack, allowing HP to design bespoke immersive services and deliver those services to its list of enterprise end-users via the Microsoft Hololens 2.
Via xRServices, HP distributes immersive services to third-party clients to assist with industrial and enterprise workflows, including repair and training procedures. frontline.io is working with HP by providing its XR SaaS platform to build HP immersive services and to grow the industry by assisting enterprise end-users in leveraging XR today.
The firms are using deep product offerings and support to streamline XR onboarding for a range of enterprise clients, such as Maple Press-USA, Fujiplus Inc, Ashford Colour Press, and JawsTec.
XR Today spoke with Ayush Jain, a leader at HP’s xRServices division, to discuss how his firm is leveraging the frontline.io SaaS product portfolio to create an umbrella of AR/MR/VR products for enterprise usage. Moreover, Jain spoke on HP’s history of XR adoption and the lessons end-users can learn to scale XR successfully in the workplace.
Jain opened the conversation by noting how he and the HP/xRServices team have been in the world of XR for years. Jain also noted how HP has a storied history of developing XR products, creating a perfect incubation space for innovative AR/VR/MR business solutions via the xRServices division and frontline.io-supplied XR SaaS offerings.
Jain explained:
For the past four years, I personally have been running what is called xRServices. It is a commercial offering from HP to our customers. This is a subscription service where our customers subscribe to a package with a hardware and application bundle. This helps them in their post-purchase lifecycle. But my charter expands into using XR across HP, so I’m working on different programmes, but xRServices is the largest.
Working with frontline.io
Jain said that when HP first started off xRServices, the firm “worked with a couple of other partners” ahead of the frontline.io partnership to secure immersive application development.
The HP representative also said how the xRServices product offering “is a bundle of assets” that HP customers can leverage with the Microsoft HoloLens 2 MR headset – then via xRServices, HP has its own application stack “that has multiple use cases.”
Speaking on the development of xRServices and how frontline.io assisted HP in creating a suit of enterprise-grade immersive applications, Jain stated:
Earlier, this application stack was a mix of different vendors and HP internal, but now our whole platform is based on the frontline.io framework. When we consolidated the customer experience on one platform, that’s when we brought in frontline.io.
Jain also explained how the HP/xRServices application stack “has evolved over a period of time,” Jain remarked that when HP started its xRServices journey, the firm used Microsoft Intune – the device management system for the HoloLens – and since the application runs on mobile and PC, the firm required an interoperable XR application stack [which frontline.io supplied] to operate alongside its HoloLens 2 device management system.
Jain added:
In the [frontline.io] user application stack. We have remote support applications, mixed reality procedures, and virtual classrooms. These are the three different application endpoints. Except for the device management system, everything sits on frontline.io .
Selling XR to Decision-Makers and Executives
Once an enterprise XR champion starts developing an interest in enterprise-grade immersive solutions, they must understand how to sell and promote understanding of the technology to workers, executives, and decision-makers.
Jain added:
How do you sell this kind of initiative to executives? Four years ago, or five years ago, when the HoloLens 2 was introduced. We were already working on virtual reality for training. We created a couple of training modules and started deploying them in the training centres. We saw mixed reactions, not that great. But then, when the HoloLens 2 was introduced, we ported some of those experiences. From then on, for all executive time, we realised no PowerPoint presentations were needed; you just asked the executive to put on the HoloLens, and you’ve sold it. This is one of those few technologies which are so visually intuitive that you really don’t need much to sell to an exec.
XR is unique in its ability to promote visual, experiential, and spatial learning for a range of enterprise individuals. This is not limited to training exercises, for example, but also the executive’s onboarding process, where XR’s natural visual appeal will breed interest across decision-makers.
Jain explained:
Whenever I tell anybody in a large corporation that just the visual appeal of XR works, an exec will find it impossible to understand. But then try it, they will know what that means. That’s how most of our buy-in was: Whenever we needed to sell this idea [of XR] to anyone, we would quickly create a module relevant to that particular business unit, a small module, nothing fancy, and tell the person to experience it. No ROI discussions and no presentations are required. The moment they try it, they themselves start coming up with so many ideas – it’s already a sold idea.
Jain remarked that this was how HP started its XR journey. Moreover, over four years, Jain noted that his team came across multiple executives and different programmes. However, getting buy-in for XR despite variations “is almost intuitive, it feels like a natural flow – maybe it helps to be in the technology industry because HP has already been in this technology, so, it’s not that tough,” Jain remarked.
Entry Barrier: Device and Content Creation
“Just to highlight, one aspect that is generally the biggest barrier to mixed reality is the entry cost, which is the cost of the device and content creation,” Jain explains.
However, on the flip side, Jain also added:
But in HP’s case, it was a no-brainer because the cost of the device could be written off with its very first application. In our case, when we do anything, our support service costs so much that if you save just one or two trips, you recover the cost of the MR device.
Jain continued by explaining that “device cost wasn’t the question.”
“The question was scalability, always,” says Jain. The HP representative notes that “the cost of content creation is so high,” therefore leading to every piece of content becoming “so expensive it’s just not scalable.”
Jain added:
If you want to do enterprise deployment, you want to create 10,000 procedures, and you’ll be spending millions and millions of dollars on that. So that’s where a partner like frontline.io really helped because we finally found one vendor where we could build content once and deliver on any platform, reducing our content cost by five times and dramatically improving the ROI on this. Then, the sale is easy, becasue you can create content once and deploy it on five different kinds of devices, reducing costs. So that helps, and that’s why we were able to really progress, by bringing in frontline.io adding to the multiplier effect of cost reductions.
Legacy Devices and Computing Considerations
Another recurring consideration for enterprise XR champions is the speed of emerging devices coming to market. Despite the early days of the XR marketplace, devices are coming out quickly, and the market can seem hard to navigate. Moreover, if a customer buys a fleet of XR devices, they may fear falling behind the technology curve when an inevitable headset upgrade comes.
But should an XR enterprise end-user disregard older generation XR devices? The answer may be no. To save capital, firms should leverage pre-existing headsets, as older devices still hold many opportunities to leverage XR applications successfully – especially as immersive software developers create apps that run more optimally on a wider range of headsets.
Jain explained:
We’re still using Generation One of most devices. The application and the software stack are evolving. These application providers are optimising their products so well that sometimes most of the content still runs on gen-one devices. I think it is not right to throw away your legacy devices. I think, eventually, XR content will get very light and will be able to run on all devices.
Moreover, Jain touched on the importance and relevance of cloud computing when leveraging workplace XR.
He added:
Any content that is really heavy on computing also means your GPU requirements are really high. Most of it is getting done on the cloud. Even your rendering is on the cloud. So, if your rendering is on the cloud, you really don’t need that computing power on the device. So there is still a time when the old XR devices could help with a lot of the applications – maybe not everything -but if you have one or two coordinated devices, even one should still suffice, you don’t need newer devices.
Considerations when Integrating with Business Systems and an Operating Workforce
Another important aspect of integrating XR in the workplace successfully is consideration for pre-existing business systems and behavioural elements of a workforce.
Jain explained that HP “got a little lucky on that” due to “first mover advantage.” However, Jain noted that one of the toughest challenges to any new technology adoption is “the human element; once we’ve done the business processes.”
Jain added:
We got a little lucky because we moved really early on when we started working with frontline.io. The tool was built to suit our processes. Commonly, we tend to do it the other way around, but we didn’t start changing the process to suit the tool. Instead, we started designing the XR tool to suit the process, which helped us. In doing this, we’ve created relevant XR tools for most of the industry. Coming from the industrial segment, the tool is optimised for today’s processes. Most of the processes are similar. They’re not very different from company to company.
Jain explained that any company that wants to adopt XR “always needs to think process first and look for the right vendor who fits the process – rather than the other way around – the change required to do it the other way around is too much of an uphill.”
Jain also added:
That’s where XR really is not taking off in terms of adoption. It’s just too complicated to spend millions of dollars on content and then have to change existing processes in order to embed XR into the pre-existing business system. So that’s where XR is not taking off. That’s probably the issue people are facing today.
A solution to this common adoption issue is to find suitable use cases for XR instead of forcing the technology into a workplace workflow and, therefore, causing disruption.
How to Escape the Pilot Process
Additionally, Jain explained that another area where a lot of end-users make a mistake is thinking that XR is something that a company “can pilot and think about later – If you keep that as your starting point, it never goes beyond the pilot process, XR never goes with you.”
Jain added:
Any company that wants to adopt XR should say that it will become a norm in five years. How do I ensure that I get started? With that mindset, then you can start thinking about processes. If you keep thinking pilot, it’s never go beyond the pilot.
Using Data to Escape the Pilot Stage and Prove ROI
Moreover, to expand an XR project beyond the pilot stage, an XR champion must prove results and forecast positive adoption rates to fuel internal investments and faith in AR/VR/MR endeavours.
Jain added:
Data is very important. Even if you have a five-year investment horizon, you still need to consistently show that investment is being put in the right place. You need to consistently show that your tool is following the norm of adoption. Everyone understands the adoption curve: there’s going to be a spike, there’s going to be a decline, and then there’s going to be a spike again.
Jain explained that an XR end-user should leverage two core data points to communicate the success of an XR project to decision-makers – “one is usage metrics, which is how often someone is using it, and the second metric is attention span or engagement, which is how long a person is using XR,” Jain noted.
Jain also explained:
In HP, of course, we also have two other metrics. One is the impact on sustainability and the environment; XR is a driver for sustainability, so we measure that quite closely. The second is the impact on operating expenses; how much of the service cost can we reduce by adopting XR? Although, even on a five-year horizon, you need to be very conscious of the adoption curve. You can’t always expect it to be on the rise – that is an upfront thing. But without data, you can’t even show that it’s on the right track.
The Future with frontline.io and HP
xRServices by HP are growing, with thanks to the frontline.io’s supplied XR SaaS platform, which appears to be a partial backbone for the division.
Clearly, HP plans on creating and expanding upon its deep XR technology stack to fit an increasing number of use cases and support broader industry growth.
Moreover, with its frontline.io partnership, the firm is seemingly investing in the start-up to leverage its highly sophisticated product offerings to provide large-scale HP clients with avenues to get started with enterprise XR.
Jain said:
For xRServices, frontline.io is our platform. We’ve made strategic investments in frontline.io for the past three years in terms of product roadmaps and engineering. I think frontline.io and HP have grown together – they are very important.
Speaking broadly, HP notes that its goal is to grow the industry and “to grow the industry, a start-up like frontline.io was perfect; they have this platform, and they know how to grow,” Jain remarked.
In conclusion, speaking on the frontline.io partnership, Jain added:
A large enterprise is always sceptical about working with startups purely from a financial and security standpoint, but once you start investing in R&D and engineering, then it becomes a no-brainer. So that’s where we are. For HP, it’s more of a strategic long-term partnership.
The next few years of XR development between HP and frontline.io proves that AR/VR/MR – and its start-ups – is gaining the support of technology giants. With time, major industry investors will lead XR forward, growing companies big and small as part of a wider journey that cements XR as a tool to enhance the future of work.
