Saritasa
The Ideal Technology Partner for Businesses

In the recent past, there has been a rapid increase in the popularity of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) among businesses. AR and VR not only play an important role in the gaming and entertainment sectors but also across organizations operating in education, healthcare, and other verticals. However, businesses need to develop a better understanding of how to leverage AR/VR and other advanced technologies to obtain their desired outcomes. With offices in Southern California, New York, and Chicago, and a track record of 10+ years developing successful projects, Saritasa helps its clients make the most of the new-age technologies. The company brings extensive experience and expertise in mobile, web, and software development, AR/VR, and IoT technology solutions.

In an interview with CIO Applications, Saritasa’s Founder, President, and CEO, Nik Froehlich and the company’s Vice President of Customer Success, Aaron Franko, elaborate on how they help businesses take advantage of new technologies to remain competitive in their industries.

What led to the genesis of the company?

Nik: I’ve always been fascinated by new, innovative technologies, but there is a gap between creation and adoption. With my experience of 25 years in managing businesses and an in-depth understanding of modern technology, Saritasa was founded in 2005 as a technology consulting firm for both small and large companies. We realized the power of technology could help businesses be more efficient and utilized our knowledge of technology to assist our clients. Our goal is to help clients understand that technology is going to affect their business in some way and that they will need to embrace it to remain competitive. To help organizations remain relevant in the industry, we become their technology partners.

What role does AR/VR play to aid learning?

Nik: Unlike other technologies, such as mobile apps, that offer immediate and obvious benefits, AR and VR business outcomes may be more subtle. These technologies instead have the potential to impact a person’s emotions through an immersive experience. The concept of virtual reality is a perfect fit for training, compliance, and education verticals.

Training often consists of learning and regurgitating information in a test, which is followed by an evaluation. This kind of learning is limited and often not efficient enough. VR, on the other hand, offers proper instructions, hands-on interactions, and measurable outcomes, making the learning more efficient and memorable. Studies have shown that the retention level a year after a VR training session can be as much as 80 percent, compared to 20 percent retention after a week with traditional training.

What are the challenges prevalent in the industry today?

Nik: The biggest challenge for organizations at present is to ensure that their hardware matches up with the capabilities of the software. This is the reason they often fear being too early with their technologies. The most important consideration for companies thinking of adopting AR/VR is to evaluate the state of the technology thoroughly, to ensure the hardware meets their expectations.

Aaron: Most companies working with AR/VR are from the gaming world and focus on entertainment. On the other hand, we have been working with organizations to achieve business outcomes using AR/VR. These technologies also allow them to translate existing content which can improve efficiency and lower cost. We only have to import it into a new medium along with visuals, rather than creating new material. We develop tools and methods to facilitate this process along with designing the experience.

Tell us about the solutions that Saritasa offers in the AR/VR marketplace.

Nik: The bulk of the development process for creating a VR environment comes down to content and measurable objectives. We have collaborated with our partners and created content management systems that can alter 3D objects within an environment remotely and quickly. It allows us to get updated content into the virtual environment without having to rebuild the entire app. If a company has a learning system deployed at various locations across the globe and needs to change some of the objects in it and the way they interact, we make it possible through the content management system. We are also able to collect data about interaction in the environment which is crucial for some organizations to measure outcomes.

Aaron: We are a full-service firm that builds, develops, and manages projects. We are not just developers; we have project management, product engineering, design resources, and a number of partnerships with content development designers and other professionals in the area of learning. Our goal is to find ways to leverage AR/VR in business applications and to solve problems. For example, in a healthcare application, we developed a small avatar that pops up and guides the user through their medical bill.

What differentiates Saritasa from other players in the industry?

Nik: We are not just a software development company, but a technology partner to businesses. Our primary focus is to help organizations understand how to maximize the use of technology. We get to understand the clients’ requirements along with other factors such as their vision, budget, and go-to-market strategy, and work with their needs to provide them the right solutions. We bring in-depth knowledge based on years of experience working with businesses across various verticals, which separates us from the rest.

Aaron: At Saritasa, we invest in developing the right idea, roadmap, and objective for the client. When we collaborate with a client, we make sure to carry out all the due diligence and invest in product engineering, design, and all the other aspects. Our agenda is to ensure that we have the right strategy moving forward.

What lies ahead for Saritasa?

We have invested in our VR production facilities along with the required tools and infrastructure to be able to provide content management systems and analytics connected to learning management systems. We do this in anticipation of growth within the education and training verticals. Strengthening our partnership with LMS systems and facilitating integrations to provide APIs that can be used by developers with their own systems is what we are geared toward.