Chromebooks for business
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Just got an HP Chromebook 14 yesterday. Really, really lovely bit of kit. I got it for employees to use in the rest room for personal internet use, as we're banning about half our staff from using the internet for personal use during work time, and I liked the fact that it's hard for them to break with dodgy software installs or viruses, and cheap to replace if they do break it.
But I love it so much it got me wondering if I can use it elsewhere. I think it only works in a business setting if you commit completely to using Google Apps. I reckon around half our staff could work with PCs - but then you end up with a mixed environment of 50% Windows and 50% Chrome, which could mean double the management. It would be nice is everyone could use one and we could ditch the Windows domain, but we're several years away from that being a realistic possibility, I guess.
Also, Pertino won't run on Chromebooks I believe, which is a real shame? And LogMeIn doesn't work without a rather crude hack which I understand is unsupported by them. And I'm sure I'll quickly find there are loads of other things that won't work and will end up being a hassle. But in theory (!) I really like the concept of them in an SMB.
Anyone using them for work?
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i hope you when you say rest rooms you are actually talking about breakrooms/lunchrooms correct? If you mean bathrooms, i would personally never allow that.
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For those users that can go straight Chromebook, what would they need Pertino for? all of their files should be in the google cloud, so no fileserver access should be an issue.
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Sorry, yes, I mean break room, not rest room!
Workers need access to our corporate intranet. Things like our ERP system, whilst browser based, are not available outside of the LAN. Ultimately, we should/could host everything in the cloud.
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@Carnival-Boy
good to hear that you were talking about breakrooms, you had me worried for a minute
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Ipads in the toilet cubicle maybe?
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@Carnival-Boy ummm no
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I attempted to use this for business. However since we are a windows shop I ran into a bit of issues on that. We do run most everything web based so I could do a good portion of my job from it but not all. So for my business usage it wasn't great. However for basic email and internet usage it was great.
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I've more or less given up with trying to use my iPad productively at work. After my intial excitement, this will probably go the same way. I don't think you can beat a Windows 8 Ultrabook (I currently use an Acer S3 which I love) - every other device seems too compromised in one way or the other. It's just the cost of ultrabooks that are the stumbling block (both hardware and management costs).
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@Dashrender said:
For those users that can go straight Chromebook, what would they need Pertino for? all of their files should be in the google cloud, so no fileserver access should be an issue.
Agreed. Chromebooks conceptually should have no need or use for Pertino or any VPN.
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@Carnival-Boy said:
Sorry, yes, I mean break room, not rest room!
Workers need access to our corporate intranet. Things like our ERP system, whilst browser based, are not available outside of the LAN. Ultimately, we should/could host everything in the cloud.
That's the idea of Chromebooks. Everything is web based and secured that way. No need to go all cloud, just web exposed.
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If you all web based from the beginning and don't do things like CAD or anything special, Chromebooks can be an amazing way to go. Google Apps especially shines but so does Office 365 or Zoho. Every day Chromebooks get closer and closer to being really useful.
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@scottalanmiller said:
Chromebooks conceptually should have no need or use for Pertino or any VPN.
Well, I think they have the concept wrong
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@scottalanmiller said:
Every day Chromebooks get closer and closer to being really useful.
I'm visualizing a differential equation where Chromebooks is expressed as a lim f(x), where x approaches ∞.
Will perpetually approach, but never quite reach it entirely. -
@Katie said:
@scottalanmiller said:
Every day Chromebooks get closer and closer to being really useful.
I'm visualizing a differential equation where Chromebooks is expressed as a lim f(x), where x approaches ∞.
Will perpetually approach, but never quite reach it entirely.Math nerds
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@scottalanmiller said:
@Katie said:
@scottalanmiller said:
Every day Chromebooks get closer and closer to being really useful.
I'm visualizing a differential equation where Chromebooks is expressed as a lim f(x), where x approaches ∞.
Will perpetually approach, but never quite reach it entirely.Math nerds
Actually, not even - I had 4 semesters of calculus in college, but I don't consider myself a math nerd as such.
