I fell in love with Chrome OS way back in 2012 when it was in its infancy. Since then I have witnessed it mature into a capable, efficient and productive platform. It integrates with Google Workspace brilliantly whilst offering the purest form of Cloud computing
There are more reasons than the 7 listed below but I thought this was a good starting point.
1 – How Secure is chromeOS?
Let us begin with arguably the most important part of any operating system – security. Chromebooks do not need antivirus installed – ever! How is that I hear you ask?
Chromebooks are built from the ground up with a modern OS – no legacy applications are needing support as everything is done on the web. Layers of security are built-in with –
- Automated updates – as a modern operating system updates have been built-in with a simple restart which takes seconds to perform before being up and running again. No progress bars are needed here.
- Sandboxing – each tab or application lives in a self-contained environment so any threat cannot infect any other part of the operating system
- Verified Boot – Even if malware manages to escape the sandbox, the Chromebook is still protected. Every time the Chromebook starts up, it does a self-check called “Verified Boot”. If it detects that the system has been tampered with or is corrupted in any way, typically it will repair itself without any effort, taking the Chromebook back to an operating system that’s as good as new.
- Data Encryption – When using web apps on a Chromebook, all important data is stored safely in the Cloud. Certain kinds of files, like downloads, cookies and browser cache files, may still be present on the computer. The Chromebook encrypts this data using tamper-resistant hardware, making it very difficult for anyone to access those files.
- Recovery Mode – If anything goes wrong with a Chromebook, you can simply push a button or use a quick keyboard combination to enter recovery mode and restore the operating system to a known good version.
Allied to the above its important to note that ChromeOS has never succumbed to any ransomware attack!
2 – How quick does a chromebook boot up? Always Working
How quick…. Super quick and with behind-the-scenes updates. Two of the biggest negatives with both Windows and Mac operating systems have been banished with Chrome OS. All of my Chrome OS devices have started from scratch to ready to use within 30 seconds with the added bonus of my setup being identical!
3 – A huge choice of hardware options
Once upon a time, there was very little hardware to choose from. Hardly any manufacturers made Chromebooks and those that did concentrate on the lower end of the market with cheap components.
However, that is far from the case now with choices across the spectrum from £150 to £1000 plus and everything in-between, including tablets, 2-in-1’s, and traditional clamshells with touch screens and without USI pen support. Phew!
4 – Apps, Apps and more Apps – with gaming
From an Enterprise viewpoint, ChromeOS now enjoys features such as Parallels and Camyeo enabling you to get to legacy applications running on other platforms such as Windows.
ChromeOS also offers huge flexibility with the ability to use Linux enabling web developers to make use of the platform.
One of the bigger criticisms that Chrome OS and therefore Chromebooks received was the lack of quality gaming available. You could get a game from the Web Store but to be honest, they were pretty poor.
Well, that is certainly not the case now.
Chrome OS users have many choices now beginning with GEFORCE Now, Steam, and Xbox Cloud Gaming. Xbox runs on the Chrome browser which enables ChromeOS users to play top-tier games via a subscription.
Android apps run on Chrome OS which means you have a choice of thousands of titles and with a Play Pass you can access some without in-app purchases and adverts ruining the experience.
5 – How easy is it to deployment chromeOS?
All you need is a Google account – either a paid Workspace account or a free account. Simple. Not only that if you have to jump to another Chromebook once you sign in bookmarks, extensions, and your pinned apps all also appear exactly as you left them.
ChromeOS is an admin dream with a centralised dashboard to apply organisation-wide security rules and processes.
6 – Does chromeOS integrate with Google Services?
Chrome OS, needless to say, integrates seamlessly with Google services and indeed Android phones. Gmail, the world’s most popular email platform through to Google Drive and Maps all work as you would expect.
However, you do have choices. From the Play Store, you can download alternatives such as Firefox for web browsing or Microsoft Outlook for emails.
In fact Microsft365 on the web works very well and has most of the functions contained in its desktop counterparts.
7 – How quickly does a chromebook sync? – Ecosystem
Take a picture on your phone with Google Photos installed then seconds later it appears on your laptop. Just one of the integrations within this ecosystem but you are not limited to one phone manufacturer, unlike other ecosystems.
So these are just 7 reasons why ChromeOS works in the Enterprise as well as it does in Education and personal accounts.