Two weeks ago a seismic shift happened over in Mountain View. For the first time since the introduction of Google Glass, Google itself acknowledged the device’s potential as an enterprise tool.

On its Google Glass page on Google+, the company writes, “Something we’ve also noticed and are very excited about is how Explorers are using Glass to drive their businesses forward. A number of companies have already teamed up with enterprise software developers to create new ways to serve their customers and reach their business goals.” The post also cites the example of an oilfield services company using Glass to increase safety and efficiency for their employees in the field.

As we look at Google Glass and its competitive counterparts, we’re struck by how its adoption curve has the potential to follow that of the earliest smartphones. You’ll recall that in the early goings, tools like personal digital assistants had some presence in the market — but the first such tool to really break through was the BlackBerry.

BlackBerry didn’t get us all toting smartphones by chasing the consumer market — rather, it started as a business tool. As select businesses and industries found relevant applications, they doled out a few devices to senior staff. With use, additional opportunities became obvious (and the tool itself became something of a status symbol) — leading to more and more people wanting their own.

With Google’s shift, a number of voices in the industry have begun to see new opportunity for wearable point-of-view technology — starting at work.

Most notable among those voices is J. P. Gownder of Forrester Research. In his latest Quick Take report, he notes, the value of Glass varies by vertical and by role. Some early, promising enterprise scenarios include:

• Medical professionals
• Entertainment and sports
• Field workers in logistics, oil and gas, manufacturing, and warehousing
• Public safety workers
• Customer service

We’re Excited About the Potential Google Glass Has for Business Video

Google Glass’ onboard camera presents a new opportunity to capture video — hands-free, point-of-view recording. The possibilities are endless:

• In health care, Glass could provide video walkthroughs of procedures for doctors and surgeons.
• In manufacturing, Glass could be used to capture the plant floor and production line, providing significantly enhanced job skills training video for new employees.
• In construction or real estate, Glass would be ideal for recording site and home walkthroughs, either to flag issues or provide a unique sales video.
• In a retail setting, Glass could be used for capturing instructional content for new hires, as well as sharing merchandising strategies and best practices from home office to local storefronts so employees could follow along.
• In utilities and energy, Glass presents the opportunity for companies to conveniently record video reports from field technicians.
• In education, Glass would allow teachers to record video on location from anywhere, helping students see examples and exhibits as they actually exist.
• In almost any office, Glass would provide a one-of-a-kind recording of any product or process demonstration — giving a new selling resource to the sales team, giving new insights to the development teams, and helping every employee really see the company’s offering in action.
• We’re also finding it great for recording any type of 1:1 coaching sessions.

And if you’re a Panopto user, once you’ve recorded a video with Glass, it’s easy to post it to your Panopto video library and share it with colleagues, partners, or customers. Just plug Glass into your laptop’s USB port, grab the video file, and drag it into Panopto’s web-based upload tool. In a few minutes, Panopto will encode the video for playback on any device, and with our Smart Search technology you’ll be able to find any word that’s spoken or that appears on-screen in the video and fast forward precisely to that point in the recording.

See it in action! Check out the short video below to see how you can record video from Google Glass and upload it to Panopto in less than 2 minutes.

Video is the proven, easy way for organizations to connect, train, share, and work for effectively. To see how Panopto can help your organization share knowledge, ideas, and expertise more effectively. Contact our team for a free trial of Panopto today.