Today, Google announced Chrome Enterprise, a simple and inexpensive way to manage Chromebook and other Chrome OS devices in larger businesses. Chrome Enterprise builds off previous Chrome OS management tools and adds integration with cloud and on-premise management tools, VMware Workspace ONE, and Microsoft Active Directory.
“Since we launched Chrome OS in 2009, our goal has been to build the simplest, fastest, and most secure operating system possible,” Google’s David Karam writes. “But with so many different business needs—not to mention so many different devices—companies have also told us they want a single, cost-effective solution that gives them the flexibility and control to keep their employees connected. That’s why today we’re announcing Chrome Enterprise.”
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The best bit? Chrome Enterprise is just $50 per device per year.
Google has supported Chrome OS with full-featured MDM (mobile device management) capabilities since its initial release, allowing smaller businesses to manage these devices like smartphones or tablets. But Chrome Enterprise expands on those capabilities quite a bit, making Chromebooks and other Chrome OS devices far more suitable to larger businesses.
As Google describes it, all Chrome OS devices provide user preferences sync, cloud and native printing capabilities, multi-layered security with automatic updates, Chrome Remote Desktop, and application virtualization support. And of course, the firm is still trying to add Google Play Store and Android app support to Chromebook, albeit on a much slower-than-expected schedule. (You can see which devices are compatible here.)
But Chrome Enterprise adds a number of additional features. These include a beta version of the managed Google Play Store, managed Chrome extensions and browser management, printer management, Active Directory integration, cloud-based fleet management, single sign-on support, public and ephemeral sessions and Kiosk mode support, managed networks and proxies, managed OS updates, theft prevention, and 24/7 support.
The idea is to let enterprises manage Chromebooks and other Chrome OS devices using the on-premise identity and management system they’re already using (e.g. Microsoft’s Active Directory). And with VMware Workspace ONE, these businesses can also manage and deliver apps to these devices.
“The consumerization of the enterprise has left IT managing multiple operating systems on a variety of devices—some provided by the business and others brought in by employees. As Chrome OS continues to gain momentum, our customers are eager to manage these devices consistently along with all other endpoints including mobile devices,” VMWare senior vice president Sumit Dhawan says. “Using Workspace ONE, our customers will be able to securely manage the lifecycle of Chromebooks along with all their other end points giving them better security and a consistent user experience across all devices.”
If you’re interested in learning more about Chrome Enterprise, Google is holding a free webinar tomorrow, August 23. To register, click here for the U.S. and Europe and here for Asia Pacific.
Bats
<blockquote><a href="#168069"><em>In reply to Simard57:</em></a></blockquote><p>In regards to the Chrome OS Tablet, the rumor is…..It's coming….in the form of a new Chromebook Pixel.</p>
Stooks
<blockquote><a href="#168093"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a></blockquote><p>"Google always manages to pull a diamond out of a pile of dirt"</p><p><br></p><p>Youtube is the only Google product/service that I could not replace if I wanted to never use a Google products again and Google bought it. Everything else I use from Google can easily be replaced.</p>
Stooks
<blockquote><a href="#168069"><em>In reply to Simard57:</em></a></blockquote><p>"I wish I had a sense what the Google Roadmap looks like."</p><p><br></p><p>IMHO this is the biggest issue with Google. Roadmaps and multiple products to do the same thing and which ones will live on and which will be killed off.</p><p><br></p><p>The Andromeda OS was supposed to merge Android and Chrome OS. It was recently killed. I think while it was alive it was the real reason that Android Apps on Chrome hardly went anywhere. I mean why put the effort into Android apps on Chrome OS if there was going to be a new OS to replace them both??? </p>
Stooks
<blockquote><a href="#168207"><em>In reply to PeteB:</em></a></blockquote><p>Yes Fuchsia, which is a successor to Android and it is rumored that they will simply kill off ChromeOS in favor of Fuchsia which will run on mobile and laptop computers.</p><p><br></p><p>Which makes my point about their roadmap.</p>
Stooks
<blockquote><a href="#168094"><em>In reply to FalseAgent:</em></a></blockquote><p>"But all of the Enterprise's own apps need to be webapps"</p><p><br></p><p>This! Lot's of our apps at work have moved to browser based clients. That said lot's are not. In fact I do not think even one department could move to Chromebooks because all of them have some non-browser based clients. Many of them need proprietary plug-ins that work fine in Chrome but would they work in Chrome OS? Especially if they interact with the file system in some way?</p><p><br></p><p>Another thing is often apps, even browser based apps will generate files that are then manipulated by other applications, mostly non-browser based apps. For example our accounting software uses a browser as a client. However daily multiple people in and out of accounting generate .xls files that they then use Excel to get at. Those files are dumped out to Windows file servers. Macros are often used in those Excel files. Can Google Doc's/Chrome books even support that kind of setup? Does the accounting app support exporting files to a Google Drive??</p>
Stooks
<blockquote><a href="#168124"><em>In reply to ghostrider:</em></a></blockquote><p>"Companies don't need heavyweight, expensive Windows boxes"</p><p><br></p><p>You are correct and at my company 98% of users do not have a computer. They do have Wyse Thin clients that connect them to Windows VDI's or Terminal Server Farms. Those Wyse thin clients sip power and last 10 years. Going with Chromebooks would cost more.</p>