<s>
Virtual	B-General_Concept
environment	I-General_Concept
software	I-General_Concept
refers	O
to	O
any	O
software	O
,	O
program	O
or	O
system	O
that	O
implements	O
,	O
manages	O
and	O
controls	O
multiple	O
virtual	B-General_Concept
environment	I-General_Concept
instances	O
(	O
self	O
definition	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
software	O
is	O
installed	O
within	O
an	O
organization	O
's	O
existing	O
IT	B-Application
infrastructure	I-Application
and	O
controlled	O
from	O
within	O
the	O
organization	O
itself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	B-General_Concept
environment	I-General_Concept
software	I-General_Concept
can	O
be	O
purposed	O
for	O
any	O
use	O
,	O
from	O
advanced	O
military	O
training	O
in	O
a	O
virtual	B-General_Concept
environment	I-General_Concept
simulator	O
to	O
virtual	O
classrooms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
Virtual	B-Application
Environments	I-Application
are	O
being	O
purposed	O
as	O
branding	O
channels	O
for	O
products	O
and	O
services	O
by	O
enterprise	O
corporations	O
and	O
non-profit	O
groups	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Currently	O
,	O
virtual	O
events	O
and	O
virtual	B-Protocol
tradeshows	I-Protocol
have	O
been	O
the	O
early	O
accepted	O
uses	O
of	O
virtual	O
event	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
recently	O
,	O
virtual	B-General_Concept
environment	I-General_Concept
software	I-General_Concept
platforms	O
have	O
offered	O
choices	O
to	O
enterprises	O
–	O
with	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
connect	O
people	O
across	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	B-General_Concept
environment	I-General_Concept
software	I-General_Concept
enables	O
organizations	O
to	O
extend	O
their	O
market	O
and	O
industry	O
reach	O
while	O
reducing	O
(	O
all	O
travel-related	O
)	O
costs	O
and	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Providers	O
of	O
virtual	B-Application
environments	I-Application
have	O
tended	O
to	O
focus	O
on	O
the	O
early	O
marketplace	O
adoption	O
of	O
virtual	O
events	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
providers	O
are	O
typically	O
software	B-Architecture
as	I-Architecture
a	I-Architecture
service	I-Architecture
(	O
SaaS	B-Architecture
)	O
-based	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
early	O
virtual	O
event	O
marketplace	O
is	O
now	O
moving	O
towards	O
3D	O
persistent	O
environments	O
,	O
where	O
enterprises	O
combine	O
e-commerce	O
,	O
social	O
media	O
as	O
core	O
operating	O
systems	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
evolving	O
into	O
virtual	B-Application
environments	I-Application
for	O
branding	O
,	O
customer	O
acquisition	O
,	O
and	O
service	O
centers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	B-General_Concept
environment	I-General_Concept
software	I-General_Concept
has	O
the	O
potential	O
to	O
maximize	O
the	O
benefits	O
of	O
both	O
online	O
and	O
on-premises	O
environments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	B-General_Concept
environment	I-General_Concept
software	I-General_Concept
can	O
be	O
applied	O
to	O
virtual	B-Protocol
learning	I-Protocol
environments	I-Protocol
(	O
also	O
called	O
learning	B-Application
management	I-Application
systems	I-Application
or	O
LMS	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
US	O
,	O
universities	O
,	O
colleges	O
and	O
similar	O
higher	O
education	O
institutions	O
have	O
adopted	O
virtual	B-Protocol
learning	I-Protocol
environments	I-Protocol
to	O
economize	O
time	O
,	O
resources	O
and	O
course	O
effectiveness	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
virtual	B-Application
environments	I-Application
industry	O
has	O
been	O
projected	O
to	O
reach	O
a	O
market	O
size	O
in	O
the	O
billions	O
of	O
dollars	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	B-General_Concept
environment	I-General_Concept
software	I-General_Concept
is	O
an	O
alternative	O
to	O
bundled	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Companies	O
known	O
to	O
provide	O
virtual	B-General_Concept
environment	I-General_Concept
software	I-General_Concept
are	O
,	O
or	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
But	O
it	O
is	O
also	O
possible	O
to	O
find	O
SAAS	B-Architecture
tools	O
to	O
create	O
virtual	B-Application
environments	I-Application
of	O
your	O
own	O
such	O
as	O
,	O
,	O
,	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
