Google is ramping up its efforts to lure workplaces into using its Chrome browser and Chromebook laptops with a handful of updates.
The tech giant said at its first Chrome Live event on Wednesday that it wants to let companies more closely integrate office-focused services into the Chromebook as part of its Chrome for Work program. Chromebook users will now be able to access files saved on the cloud storage service Box just as they would any other stored file.
The company is also upgrading videoconferencing package, Chromebox for Meetings, to allow for bigger groups of people. The system will include a pan-tilt camera and hardware from Dell, Acer and Hewlett Packard.
Google's Chrome for Work program is designed to accommodate a shift in the way people now use devices. Workers no longer rely on a single computer; instead they use a combination of devices including tablets, smartphones and multiple computers, said Rajen Sheth, director of product management for Android and Chrome for Work.
The number of these personal devices is expected to continue to rise, and soon, people may use as many as 40 devices every day, he said.
A central selling point of Chrome for Work is that businesses will not have to replace their existing hardware and software products to use Chrome's devices and services. The company demonstrated how Citrix Systems' GoToMeeting, Pulse Secure VPN and SAP's Fiori software would integrate into Chrome.
The updates are all part of a strategy to coax workplaces that still use PCs to make the switch to Chromebooks and the Chrome browser. The company boasts that Netflix, Pinterest and clothing company Chico’s have all gotten on board with its office tools.
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