Dublin | At the recent ChromeOS Summit, Google showed what’s to come in the ChromeOS ecosystem. invidis Impact consultant, Marco Wassermann, summarized the key takeaways for digital signage.
In Dublin, Google recently brought together around 300 partners and customers for its Chrome Summit 2024 – EMEA. The event was centered around the latest updates and products in the ChromeOS ecosystem. First and foremost, Google demonstrated how it integrates its key services – Cloud, OS, Browser, and AI – into ChromeOS to enhance customer service and user experience.
ChromeOS for Distributed Fleets
One of the points ob the agenda were the advantages of using ChromeOS across large, distributed device networks. Google showed how their admin console is supposed to make managing device fleets simple with detailed control policies and granular settings. And it is set to get even smarter: Google plans to introduce AI-driven policy recommendations, helping organizations optimize their rollouts. The Admin Console’s Device Hub also flags potential network issues, offering a proactive approach to fleet management.
Sustainability and Cost-Effective Solutions
A large portion of the summit addressed sustainability and how ChromeOS enables organizations to remotely migrate devices from Windows, minimizing the need for new hardware purchases. With ChromeOS Flex, businesses can reuse existing hardware, reducing e-waste and power consumption. The operating system is supposed to consume far less energy compared to Windows, making it an eco-friendly option, especially for large-scale deployments.
Security and Efficiency
One of the things features Google markets ChromeOS on are its security features—so far, it has had zero ransomware attacks, according to Google. Its fast update process, which completes with a 10-second reboot, ensures minimal downtime for users. Compared to legacy systems, ChromeOS eliminates the need for long, disruptive updates. Businesses have reported saving up to 50 percent of the time spent patching systems weekly.
Success Stories: Five Stars Burger Chain
At the Summit, Google also presented a case study from Five Stars, a burger chain that rolled out 200 kiosks running on ChromeOS. While their IT team initially hesitated, the switch proved beneficial in the long run, says Google – especially after initial experiments with Android hadn’t worked out. The transition helped to reduce internal tech management costs and to speed up their deployment process.
Open Source vs ChromeOS
Some companies lean toward open-source solutions, believing these are cost-free due to no licensing fees. However, they often forget about the internal resources required to manage a tech stack. ChromeOS, by contrast, is said to both resource requirements and development costs, enabling faster rollouts.
Tools for Easy Migration
Google also introduced its new Chrome Readiness Tool, which allows businesses to remotely check the compatibility of their Windows systems with ChromeOS. Additionally, their Remote Migration Tool allows organizations to convert existing Windows machines to ChromeOS Flex without the need for an on-site visit.
Large-Scale Rollouts
Lastly, long-standing ChromeOS partner, digital signage integrator Trison, demonstrated at the Summit how they rolled out over 5,000 devices powered by ChromeOS. The case was intended to show the scalability and ease of large deployments.
