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Immediately, Google introduced that its free, chromium-based working system, ChromeOS Flex, is popping out of beta.
ChromeOS Flex will present PC and MAC customers with a cloud-driven safe working system that they will deploy through USB, and handle alongside different Chrome OS gadgets.
Whereas Chrome OS Flex has the identical codebase as Chrome OS, in contrast to the latter, ChromeOS Flex might be put in on Home windows and Mac machines as effectively, opening the door to hundreds of thousands of potential new customers.
Since Google made ChromeOS Flex accessible for early entry customers in February 2022, there are actually over 400 gadgets that are actually licensed for Flex, and might be managed by the Google Admin console with the Chrome Enterprise Improve.
For enterprises, the newly launched OS gives a safe, user-friendly working system, which they will deploy quickly throughout a whole fleet of distant worker gadgets to scale back the prospect of information loss if a tool is misplaced or stolen.
Standing up because the go-to safe OS
The launch of ChromeOS Flex comes as extra organizations are struggling to cope with trendy ransomware and malware threats. For example, research exhibits that ransomware assaults rose by 92.7% in 2021 in comparison with 2020, rising from 1,389 reported assaults, to 2,690 final yr.
One of many essential causes for this battle to safe trendy enterprise environments is the complexity of distant working, and making certain that worker gadgets are fully patched towards vulnerabilities.
In truth, 74% of IT managers say that remote work makes it more durable for workers to comply with good safety practices.
ChromeOS Flex addresses this problem by enabling customers to handle gadgets by the Google Admin console, not solely controlling updates for a number of gadgets but additionally having the choice to remotely wipe or disable compromised gadgets.
“ChromeOS Flex offers a lot wanted safety from rising threats, together with ransomware, malware, and worker errors,” mentioned Group Product Supervisor at Chrome OS, Mike Wendling.
For instance, with a one-page information and a USB drive, workers throughout 200 Nordic Selection lodges have been in a position to deliver 2000 beforehand compromised computer systems again on-line in below 48 hours by changing all of them to Chrome OS Flex, defending their enterprise from a expensive prolonged shutdown,” Wendling mentioned.
On this scenario, Nordic Selection Lodges managed to make use of the fast deployment functionality to scale back the general impression of a ransomware incident and restore vital operations, that they wouldn’t have been in a position to with a much less remote-friendly browser.
The place does ChromeOSFLex match into the OS market?
As the most recent entrant to the OS market, ChromeOS Flex is competing towards some firmly established rivals, like Home windows 11, which is utilized by roughly 1.44 % of PCs.
Nevertheless, whereas Home windows 11 has a a lot wider consumer base and various ecosystem of Microsoft client and enterprise instruments, it’s additionally a a lot greater goal. Risk actors are continuously growing malware for Home windows as a result of they know the platform has a excessive quantity of customers.
In distinction, Chrome OS Flex has the potential to offer a safe various to Home windows, not solely as a result of it’s uncovered to a a lot decrease quantity of threats, however as a result of it doesn’t assist native purposes, that means that malware has restricted room injury information held on the machine.
On the similar time, it’s competing towards the various Linux ecosystem. Whereas lower than 2% of computer systems use Linux in response to TurboFuture, distributions like Ubuntu have all the time supplied enterprises and shoppers larger management over the purposes they deploy.
The place Chrome OS Flex has the potential to excel, is within the safety of older PCs and laptops. USB-based deployment makes it straightforward for customers to improve programs which were discontinued, which can turn into extra related sooner or later when OS’s like Home windows 10 come to finish of life safety assist.