Google is now offering Chrome Enterprise, a subscription service for Enterprise users at $50 per device. The new service will offer up a range of different things for customers, including usable Chromebook units. That $50 cost per device is also an annual cost, so companies will be paying that $50 every 12 months for each Chromebook they subscribe to. There are currently seven different Chromebook options that are included in the new Chrome Enterprise service – the Samsung Chromebook Pro, the ASUS Chromebook Flip C302, the HP Chromebook 13 and Dell Chromebook 13, the Acer Chromebook 14 and Chromebook 15, and the Lenovo Thinkpad 13 Chromebook.
Chrome Enterprise is much more than just a way for companies to essentially rent Chromebooks. The service actually offers a much more expanded feature set than what Google used to offer in its Chromebooks for Work program. One notable new feature is constant support, as Chrome Enterprise will offer assistance on issues around the clock seven days a week, which means if there is ever a problem with one or more of the units or anything having to do with Chrome OS, Google will be able to help no matter the time of day, something which should put companies’ minds at ease.
In addition to 24/7 Enterprise support, other features like a robust, multi-layered security approach should help companies and IT admins make sure things are secure as they possibly can be, and naturally the service will also include Chrome Remote Desktop so anyone who needs to (so long as they have the access) remote in for any reason will be able to do so. To keep things as simple as possible, Chrome Enterprise is also coming with VMware’s Workspace ONE management solution, allowing admins to manage all company devices regardless of whether or not they’re owned by the company or brought in by the employees. It’ll be an elegant solution to the problem of whether or not to allow BYOD due to concerns over security or at the very least, the issue of having to use multiple management solutions. Other included features are things like theft prevention and the ability to manage OS updates, meaning that admins should have control over which updates are applied or when they’re applied. Google is hosting a webinar on Chrome Enterprise tomorrow for people to learn more about the program offering, and interested companies in the U.S., Europe, and Asia Pacific can already register.