The Multiverse Network, who builds MMOs as well as the networks on which they run, had suggested earlier this week that it was about to unveil a new product. At the Virtual Worlds Conference in San Jose, the the company unveiled a virtual world for business collaboration built on its network by Accelerate Technology.

It's called NECO, which stands for New Employee Company Orientation. It can be customized to resemble any corporate campus, so that new employees can take an in-depth virtual tour of their new company before starting work. The application also facilitates all the usual new hire tasks, like HR paperwork, policy and procedure education, and meeting new teammates. The world also incorporates streaming video and an "in-world PDA-like tool" that facilitates chat, email, web content and a navigation mini-map.

It's part of a whole suite of apps Accelerate says it's working on, including NEON (New Employee On-Boarding) which features specialized tools related to specific corporate initiatives; CHIP (College Hire Integration Program), NESI (New Employee Sales Immersion), and NETI (New Employee Technical Immersion).

The descriptions indicate a pretty sensible use of corporate virtual worlds; the new hire process, at least, can be pretty arduous and tedious, and tools aimed at making the process more engaging, connected and consistent have the potential to be quite solidly useful.

"Accelerate's industry-leading work is indicative of the growing acceptance of using virtual worlds to support traditional business tasks," said Corey Bridges, executive producer, Multiverse. "We expect these types of applications, and those still in the concept phase, to contribute significantly to the growth and popularity of this new medium."