Attn Geeks - Google Chromebook thoughts

[fizzwheel]

I've been presented with one of these to evaluate, Its the Samsung one. Somebody has suggested that we put these out into our trade counter estate / head office as a replacement for our Windows XP PC's with MS Office and Email via Exchange 2007.

Seems to me like an expensive portal to get you into the google apps / google docs world.

I have to say it does look flash boot time is quick, but the rest of it I dont like. I dont like putting my work stuff into the google space, I dont like the fact that every user appears it has to have a google apps account, I dont like that if I want to print from it I have to put my printers into the google space. It doesnt come with an ethernet adaptor as standard so I cant plug it into my wired network at work unless I get a USB to ethernet adaptor.

Also I dont think the form factor is robust enough, they are going to get damaged or go walkies. Supposedly a brick version of it is coming out later on.

You can only run the Chrome Browser on it and it doesnt support Java.

I dont think the technology is mature enough and I'm not sure I "Get" cloud computing so after some thoughts if anybody has any experience of the Google Cloud in a business envrionment.

Other options are Microsoft 365, with a thin desktop device like a Wyse terminal running an Embedded OS, I'd quite like to move away from Microsoft OS's basically as long it'll run a browser it'll do what I want it to do.

[flymo]

I've been evaluating one of these for a couple of months, sounds like the same model. My role is as a Lead Architect covering user devices so I do this fairly often with pretty much any significantly new device types.

I see Google as a technology disruptor, in this case I believe the intention is to rock the boat a little and push web technologies to replace traditional client. Over time I think we will see this happen but in the short term I think the supporting technologies are just not ready, certainly not ubiquitous and lacking in the controls required for an enterprise.

If you are looking for ease of management, something that isnt going to get stolen and will provide a suitable replacement for a Windows client in the form of a static device then my best advice would be to consider the 'thin' devices such as Wyse. They are an expensive technology to gear up for but the savings follow in the form of cheaper management.

We havent gone down that road en mass simply due to the fact that we are looking to enable mobile workers, mobile even within the same building (we call them 'meeting goers')

I avoided all operating systems other than windows for our trial Viewpad, it came with android and win 7, so I booted from a external CD drive via ts USB ports and flashed with win 7 pro then stuck it on my domain, works a treat...

Not the flashiest bit of kit but we only use windaz and it works well with that, I dont get cloud computing and wont use it as I dont trust it...

have a lookie at the view sonic pads, come with usb and expansions slots, wireless and 3g sim slot too...

really chuffed and so is my site manager... at £300 too

[fizzwheel]

Originally Posted by flymo

If you are looking for ease of management, something that isnt going to get stolen and will provide a suitable replacement for a Windows client in the form of a static device then my best advice would be to consider the 'thin' devices such as Wyse. They are an expensive technology to gear up for but the savings follow in the form of cheaper management.

Yep looking at Wyse as well. I'm trying to remove Windows from the desktop solution as its PIA to manage and I'm f*cked off with the rate of patching we have to do to keep on top of all the security alerts. So I've been looking at the Linux Wyse Thin device.

One of the architect's I work with keeping banging on about this bl**dy google chromebook and he cant get where I'm coming from about it in terms of trying to manage the damn thing and I cant get where he is coming from about Cloud computing !

It is absolutely just a portal to steer you towards using Google Apps, though Office 365, etc would probably work just as well. Not that there is anything wrong with that if Google Apps suits your user profile.

Not sure mobile data coverage is good enough yet though. I travel regularly from Kettering to London, via Bedford & Luton, so you'd think 3G coverage would be good with it "North Londonshire" but I'm lucky if I can get a 2 minute phone call, never mind data connection. Typical ping response when it does work is between 500 and 1000ms.

I no real expert on Desktop, but any confusion around Cloud or Desktop Mobility I can help with.

[mr.anderson]

What exactly are you trying to achieve?

The Chromebook is great for what it is, as you said, a portal for access Google apps.

Office 365 is an option for mail hosting, but at this stage doesn't really offer a solution for online document editing and creation. Office 365 is aimed to snap in to Office Professional Plus as form a sort of Sharepoint sync and storage service. Although it does offer a limited online editing function if you don't have access to real Office application, it doesn't run in chrome properly.

No point in looking at a Chromebook if your organisation isn't willing to commit to Google Apps and life in the cloud.

Your other option is to go for a thin os with an ICA client and stream their required apps through XenApp or a desktop through XenDesktop if you think they need a scratch space beyond the apps.

[fizzwheel]

I have a suite of 1500 PC's running Windows XP, they are all on a AD domain and controlled / managed with group policy. They run Firefox 3.5 and the users use them to connect to an in house coded bespoke app.

These PC's are an admin headache for our desktop support team as they are all on remote sites and I want to replace them with Thin Clients to remove the support headache and save some money.

Some of the PCs are old + 5 years or more and are due for replacement.

We arent in a position to put our in house coded app into the cloud, I dont know if thats possible due to the sheer volume of infrastructure ( Solairs & Wintel kit ) thats required and we have no budget to do that.

I want one device that goes on every desktop, I'm open to running Linux on that device. One particular architect who likes google apps, suggested the chrome book. He's missed the point already that I cant run Firefox on a Chromebook as its not supported on it, and the in house bespoke app doesnt work on the Chrome Browser on the Chrome book.

I want some flexability in the device either just to run a local browser or to connect to a virtual desktop and be able to run full MSOffice suite that kind of thing.

I'm thinking that Wyse Terminal with Linux on it will do what I need to...

[flymo]

It sounds like the thin client approach may well suit your needs but dont underestimate the setup costs involved, it isnt cheaper to purchase than equivalent 'fat' hardware.

You will be reliant on reliable data center hosted infrastructure and on a fast reliable network. Aim to match same or prefereably better performance than todays hardware or it will fail.

Before you take the leap though, consider what you might be able to do to improve cost and complexity of management of the existing approach. We found that by challenging our existing assumptions we were able to dramatically reduce costs and speed things up.

e.g. Consider using cloud services to manage what you have. MS InTune is a very good solution that effectively provides SMS/SCCM functionality to small/medium sized businesses, you can deploy software, patch, inventory pretty easily without any on-premise infrastructure. We are replacing an expensive on-premise backup solution with one provided totally in the cloud, very cheap and extremely effective.

Also, and this may be a little controversial, consider a lighter touch management approach. Use group policy (if you dont already) to manage settings that are important, then leave the remainder alone, let the user do what they need to. Do you allow people to use their own devices? If its possible to access your apps and services from a browser you might find that some users would prefer to use their own devices, we allow that for users and we insist on it for contractors.

[fizzwheel]

I have to be careful. Those PC's are in an environment where they are ripe for abuse and the users are not particularly IT Savy. Also I want a device that if its removed from our network its dead and no use to anybody else as we've had a few breakin's where the kit has been stripped and stores emptied.

We dont allow users to bring their own kit in, its all in an environment where credit card numbers / money is being handled so I have to watch for PCI / DSS compliance as well.

Will look at the MS InTune stuff as well. Ta.

The 'cloud' doesn't just mean 'Public Cloud' apps such as Google Apps, it could be any externally hosted infrastructure, ie: private logical infrastructure, but hosted on syndicated storage and compute, or it could be an entirely private platform from the ground up. I prefer to drop use of the word 'Cloud' because it's very confusing for customers and they hear it used so often in so many different guises, they are completely fed up with it.

The restrictions around putting an app in the 'cloud' are the delivery of that app back to the desktop and the network bandwidth/latency required. As your app is browser based there are plenty of managed hosting providers out there who will host and manage/support the infrastructure for you. As the app is in-house coded you may struggle to find a provider who will take on the application support, but how often do you need to go and open the rack for application support purposes? Probably never, in which case what does it matter where the datacentre is?

You say you don't have the budget, but we are not selling much nowadays unless we can measure the in-house TCO and demonstrate an ROI, but we are still growing 50% year on year. People think it's expensive, but that's only because they are either not looking at all, or not correctly measuring what it costs to do it themselves. Most of my customer engagements, especially in the current climate, are about cost savings, reducing the budget, not spending more. The cost savings are achieved through economies of scale, and your infrastructure is usually hosted in a far superior datacentre environment and supported by people with a wider range of more up to date skills. More than 50% of hosting decisions are ultimately made by the CFO.

External hosting doesn't necessarily mean loss of jobs, many of my customers complain of being understaffed, or being unable to complete proactive projects, due to the amount time spent on reactive support.

Of course Virtual App and Virtual Desktop is bread and butter stuff for most managed hosting providers.