The Virtual Workspace That Feels Like a Real Office
Katmai is virtual office software for remote and hybrid teams. A browser-based 3D workspace with real video presence. No downloads, no VR headsets.
What is a virtual workspace?
A virtual workspace is a persistent online environment where a team works together throughout the day. Unlike a video call, it does not start and end. Your workspace is always there: people arrive in the morning, see who else is around, talk when they need to, focus when they don't, and leave at the end of the day.
The best way to think about it: a video call is a meeting. A virtual workspace is an office.
Teams adopt a virtual workspace to fix the problems remote work created. Scheduled calls for questions that take ninety seconds. Slack threads that stretch a five minute decision across an afternoon. New hires who have never casually talked to anyone outside their own team. A shared workspace brings back what an office gave you, without the commute or the lease.
What makes Katmai different from other virtual workspaces
Most virtual workspace tools represent your team as cartoon avatars in a 2D map. Katmai takes a different approach.
Real video presence. In Katmai, you see actual live video of your teammates, positioned in a shared 3D office. Not an avatar with your photo on it. When you walk up to someone, you are looking at them, and conversation starts as naturally as it does in person.
A photorealistic 3D office in your browser. Katmai renders a full 3D workspace in a standard web browser. There is nothing to install and no VR headset to buy. Anyone with a link and a laptop is in the office in seconds, which makes onboarding new teammates, contractors, and guests effortless.
Spatial audio. Conversations in Katmai work like conversations in a room. You hear the people near you clearly, and a discussion across the office stays across the office. Two groups can talk at once without booking two meeting links.
Available, not interrupted. Presence in Katmai is visible but respectful. Your team can see you are at your desk without pinging you, and you decide when and how people can reach you. It is visibility without surveillance.
Persistent by design. Your workspace holds your team's rhythm: morning standups in the same spot, focus zones, drop-in areas, rooms for interviews and workshops. Remote teams use Katmai for onboarding, daily work, reviews, and team rituals, all inside one workspace.
Virtual workspace vs. video conferencing
|
Video conferencing |
Katmai virtual workspace |
|
|
When it exists |
Only during scheduled calls |
Persistent, all day |
|
Starting a conversation |
Send a link, wait for people to join |
Walk over and talk |
|
Presence |
Nobody knows who's available |
See who's at their desk at a glance |
|
Multiple conversations |
One meeting per link |
Many conversations, spatial audio keeps them separate |
|
Setup |
App installs and updates |
Runs in the browser, nothing to download |
Video conferencing is not going anywhere, and Katmai is not trying to replace your webinar tool. It replaces the fifteen scheduled calls a week that only exist because your team has no shared place to just talk.
Who uses a virtual workspace
Remote teams use Katmai as their headquarters, the place work happens and culture forms. Virtual office for remote teams
Hybrid teams use Katmai to put in-office and at-home teammates in the same room, so remote employees stop being second-class participants in every conversation. Virtual office for hybrid teams
Distributed companies across time zones use the workspace as the constant: whoever is working is in the office, and handoffs happen face to face instead of in a document.
Frequently asked questions
What is a virtual workspace?
A virtual workspace is a persistent online environment where a team works together during the day. It combines presence, conversation, and shared space, so teammates can see who is available and talk instantly instead of scheduling video calls.
What is the difference between a virtual workspace and a virtual office?
The terms are used interchangeably. Both describe a persistent digital space where a team works together. Katmai is both: a virtual office rendered as a 3D workspace in your browser. For a deeper look at the category, see our guide to virtual office software.
Do I need a VR headset to use Katmai?
No. Katmai runs entirely in a standard web browser. No downloads, no VR headsets, no special hardware.
How is Katmai different from Gather Town or other 2D tools?
Tools like Gather Town represent teammates as 2D pixel avatars. Katmai is a photorealistic 3D office with real live video of each person, so working together feels like being in a room, not playing a game. Compare Katmai to other tools.
How do teams get started with Katmai?
Book a demo and walk through a live workspace with our team. You will see the office, the video presence, and how a normal workday flows before you decide anything. Take the tour.
Your team's workspace is ready
The fastest way to understand a virtual workspace is to stand in one.