VMWorld 2019 U.S. is just getting underway in San Francisco and Google Cloud has just joined with Dell to announce some very exciting news for the world of Chrome OS for enterprises. While the enterprise market has seen an extensive expansion of Chrome OS devices, Dell is leading the charge with a new lineup dubbed “Chromebook Enterprise” and they are dressed to impress.
Apart from never-before-seen specs, the Chromebooks are part of a new program designed specifically for the business sector including built-in licensing out of the box. John Solomon, the VP of Chrome OS, goes into more detail in the official announcement from Google.
Making the modern OS accessible for every enterprise
Automatic updates that don’t disrupt work. Boot-up in seconds so you can get up and running fast. Security by default, with multiple layers of defenses so you’re protected against threats. AI enhancements that help you work fast, and smart. And a cloud-native experience today’s workforce increasingly expects. The modern OS is not a vision, it’s already a reality for businesses today with Chrome OS.
John Solomon, VP Chrome OS
In short, Chrome OS has already made a massive impact on the enterprise ecosystem thanks to all of the features made possible by not only the OS itself but Google’s massive Cloud platform. Mr. Solomon continued by sharing what’s new with Chrome OS and Enterprise.
…bringing the modern OS to businesses requires more than reimagined technology. It means providing them with the devices and ecosystem that makes the modern OS easy to adopt. Today, we’re announcing a number of enhancements across our Chrome Enterprise ecosystem with an aim to bring the modern, cloud-first Chrome OS to more businesses—on trusted hardware they already know and love. These updates include the first Chromebook Enterprise devices with an improved Admin console, and new developer-focused features. Together, these updates make the modern OS more accessible to every business.
John Solomon, VP Chrome OS
This is all very exciting and a huge win for the folks in Mountain View but we’re here for the Chromebooks. So, let’s get down to business. Before we get into the details, we’ll go ahead on and go on record as saying that we are 99.9% positive that one or both of these are the Chromebook ‘Sarien’ that we have been tracking since last October.
Dell Latitude Chromebooks for Enterprise
Dell will get the credit for being the first “Enterprise Chromebooks” in existence and it looks like they are setting the bar pretty high for anyone that follows. Two devices, both featuring 8th Gen Intel processors, will offer up some industry firsts and quite possibly pave the way for an entirely new generation of Chrome devices.
The Dell Latitude 5400 and 5300 are a 14″ clamshell and a 13″ 2-in-1 respectively and can be configured up to a Core i7 but these won’t be like previous models such as the Acer Chromebook Spin 13 or Lenovo Yoga. No, these 8th Gen chips are actually from the Whiskey Lake lineup which means they can offer built-in Gigabit wifi support as well as better support for Thunderbolt 3 and integrated USB 3.1.
On top of new processors, the Dell Enterprise Chromebooks come with an optional 32GB of DDR4 RAM and up to 1TB of enterprise-grade PCI-E NVMe SSD storage. This will be a first for any Chrome OS device on the market, past or present. Additionally, the Dell Latitude line of Chromebooks will have LTE options available as well as a USB-C docking station. (Robby discovered that one was in the works a few months back.)
In addition to Chrome Enterprise capabilities, the Latitude Chromebooks will feature Dell Technologies’ Unified Workspace to provide unified endpoint management. The new devices will be available through Dell EMC and 24/7 support is available for enterprise accounts in select regions. You can learn more at Dell Technologies.
