Google recently announced that it will be working with some hardware partners in offering its own vision for the future of computing. It’s called the Chromebook, and the aim is to make management of computers much easier for organizations.
Instead of always having to handle the tedious tasks of updating software on local computers, Google has taken the initiative to do all of that work. Updates to Chromebooks will happen automatically, and new features will appear on their own much like the experience is for Google Apps today.
IT administrators will be able to take advantage of a dashboard whereby they will be able to control these Chrome OS machines. They can set up security policies and even be able to push browser extensions to these devices for uniform install of company-sanctioned software.
Because Chromebooks are built on a secure platform, they don’t need specially-installed software in order to protect it from viruses. Instead, Google takes the proactive steps to ensure that any threats are mitigated.
All of the data that is contained on a Chromebook is stored in the cloud. That means anyone trying to access sensitive data will need to have the password to your Google account. If you lose a Chromebook, there is no risk of losing that information because it is stored remotely, and it will not be able to be accessed by anyone else.
If you are already familiar with the Chrome browser, then you’ll have no problem using a Chromebook. It’s the same interface that you’ve come to expect in this case. That’s another benefit to Chromebooks: they are very simple and easy for all users to get up and running.
You can expect Chromebooks to actually get faster over time, as opposed to traditional PCs that get bogged down after you install some software on them. With Chromebooks they will be updated over time with better code to optimize your experience.
And best of all, if you are a business or educational institution, you’ll be able to get Chromebooks for your users for a reasonable price. Google will be offering the hardware for as low as $20/month per user for education and $28/month for business starting June 15.
We’ve been actively testing Chrome OS and are excited about the launch as well as how it will work great with Google Apps!