The Metaverse and Workplace Communications Series: Defining the Metaverse and Looking at Possibilities

The News: Wainhouse Research has released the first part of what is expected to be a three-part series exploring the intersection of workplace communications and the much discussed but ill-defined metaverse. Part One of this Metaverse and Workplace Communications series discusses the history of the metaverse as it is currently conceived and sets a working definition of the metaverse as the foundation for the remainder of the series. You can find part one of The Metaverse and Workplace Communications here.

The Metaverse and Workplace Communications Series: Defining the Metaverse and Looking at Possibilities

Analyst Take: In recent months, the term “the metaverse” has become a buzzword. As with most buzzwords in the tech sector, the reality has quickly been overwhelmed by founders’ ambitions, the messaging of marketing departments searching for relevance in a fickle news cycle, and the unceasing demand for growth by major platform vendors. As I’ve become immersed in this space, I find that the number of wildly different definitions of the metaverse causes more confusion than we can afford when considering significant shifts in how our users consume our products.

This first part in our series will set forth how our team here at Wainhouse Research defines the metaverse in an effort to set a foundation for the rest of our conversation. If, after reading our definition, you disagree, feel free to reach out to us or, at the very least, be aware of our definition as you read the rest of the series and take it into account as you develop your positions.

Disclosure: Wainhouse Research, part of The Futurum Group family of companies, is a research and advisory firm that engages or has engaged in research, analysis, and advisory services with many technology companies, including those mentioned in this article. The author does not hold any equity positions with any company mentioned in this article.

Analysis and opinions expressed herein are specific to the analyst individually and data and other information that might have been provided for validation, not those of Wainhouse Research as a whole.

Other insights from Wainhouse Research:

Webex Calling Announces First Data Center in South America, Expanding Global Presence 

Zoho Pushes Further into Unified Communications with the Release of Trident

A Wild Week as Tech Giants Microsoft and Google Reveal AI-Powered Search and Browser Integrations

The original version of this article was first published on Wainhouse Research.

Author Information

Sean is a trusted advisor to and assists industry vendors and enterprises with workplace communications and collaboration strategies, market entry and product assessment, product portfolio analysis, and sales enablement services.

Sean holds a Bachelor of Science in International Business from University of Colorado, Boulder.

Related Insights
Can Glean's Financial Services Push Make AI Assistants a Compliance Asset, Not a Risk?
June 18, 2026

Can Glean’s Financial Services Push Make AI Assistants a Compliance Asset, Not a Risk?

Glean's Financial Services expansion positions its AI Assistant as a compliance-first solution for regulated industries, tackling reliability and privacy concerns while competing against Microsoft and Google in enterprise AI deployment....
Agentic Workloads Reshape
June 17, 2026

How will Qualcomm’s AI Bet Solve for NVIDIA’s Data Center Gaps as Agentic Workloads Reshape the Chip Market?

Olivier Blanchard, Research Director & Practice Lead, Intelligent Devices at Futurum, on Qualcomm's Investor Day, and whether Qualcomm can challenge NVIDIA's data center dominance....
Agent Trust
June 16, 2026

Will Salesforce and Databricks Redefine AI Agent Trust or Deepen Platform Lock-In?

Keith Kirkpatrick, Vice President & Research Director, Enterprise Software & Di at Futurum, examines how Salesforce and Databricks are addressing enterprise demands for trustworthy AI agents while potentially deepening platform...
Zendesk's Beams Acquisition Signals a New Battlefront in Agentic AI for Employee Service
June 16, 2026

Zendesk’s Beams Acquisition Signals a New Battlefront in Agentic AI for Employee Service

Keith Kirkpatrick, Vice President & Research Director, Enterprise Software & Di at Futurum, explores how Zendesk's acquisition of Beams signals a strategic pivot toward agentic AI-powered employee service management, positioning...
Oracle's Outcome-Based Pricing Gambit: Rewriting the Rules of Cloud Economics
June 15, 2026

Oracle’s Outcome-Based Pricing Gambit: Rewriting the Rules of Cloud Economics

Keith Kirkpatrick, Vice President & Research Director, Enterprise Software & Di at Futurum, Oracle's shift to outcome-based pricing and AI-driven commercial models reshapes enterprise cloud procurement and vendor economics in...
Americans Want AI to Cure Cancer, But Trust in AI Companies Is Near Rock Bottom
June 15, 2026

Americans Want AI to Cure Cancer, But Trust in AI Companies Is Near Rock Bottom

Anthropic's Public Record survey shows 48% of Americans hope AI will cure diseases like cancer, yet only 15% trust AI companies to make key decisions. With 64% fearing job loss,...

Book a Demo

Newsletter Sign-up Form

Get important insights straight to your inbox, receive first looks at eBooks, exclusive event invitations, custom content, and more. We promise not to spam you or sell your name to anyone. You can always unsubscribe at any time.

All fields are required






Thank you, we received your request, a member of our team will be in contact with you.