Is Chromebook Ready For Business?

We already know what Chromebooks are capable of, and it looks like it is intended for casual users or consumers. There are lots of questions that are being raised about this device and one of which is “Is it ready for business use? We have heard that Google has offered a special software and hardware as a service packages for businesses, and other institutions, and for those 4 companies that Google has chosen to work on Chromebooks and analyze if they would be able to adapt the device in their companies, 75% of them felt that they would be willing to switch to Chromebooks, or at least interested in incorporating them with their IT processes.

Google also have released the Chromebox for business which is made to be user-friendly and can be managed within a web console, sort of like an HTPC. This has been made for centralized IT adminstration, where a certain user can easily setup his application and certain security policies can be deployed from one place to the other.

Based on conversations with IT professionals at companies that had an early look at Chromebooks and participated in Google’s pilot test of the notebooks earlier this year, many companies sound interested in incorporating them into the IT mix, but with conditions.

Is it the PC killer? You be the judge. Chromebooks are just like a laptop or a netbook that can perform in a web-based world. Many are saying that it is good for consumers but for business, it is just not ready as yet.

According to John Caughell, a marketing coordinator at Argenstratus, “The Chromebook is not a corporate tool…today. But the concept of a virtual device that directly and securely puts the user in touch with the enterprise’s applications and data is the future and IT departments need to be aware of the implications. We believe the Chromebook model, while today a consumer item, is the way IT will be delivered to enterprises in the near future.”