Google’s Chrome OS Flex is now out there for previous PCs and Macs

Google is releasing Chrome OS Flex immediately, a brand new model of Chrome OS that’s designed for companies and faculties to put in and run on previous PCs and Macs. Google first began testing Chrome OS Flex earlier this 12 months in an early entry preview, and the corporate has now resolved 600 bugs to roll out Flex to companies and faculties immediately.

Chrome OS Flex is designed primarily for companies operating previous Windows PCs, as Google has been testing and verifying gadgets from Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, LG, Toshiba, and lots of extra OEMs. Flex will even run on some previous Macs, together with some 10-year-old MacBooks.

The help of previous {hardware} is the large promoting level of Chrome OS Flex, as companies don’t should ditch present {hardware} to get the newest fashionable working system. More than 400 devices are licensed to work, and set up is as straightforward as utilizing a USB drive to put in Chrome OS Flex.

“We’re working on more certifications every day, and even if your device isn’t yet certified, you can still try Chrome OS Flex,” explains Thomas Riedl, director of product, enterprise, and training at Google. On gadgets that aren’t formally supported, you would possibly run into some minor points, instability, or boot issues.

Chrome OS Flex was made doable by Google’s acquisition of Neverware, which beforehand offered an utility known as CloudReady that allowed customers to transform previous PCs into Chrome OS methods. It arrives lower than a 12 months after Microsoft launched Windows 11 with strict {hardware} necessities that can go away thousands and thousands of older PCs behind.

Google is pitching Chrome OS Flex at companies and faculties that wish to modernize and simplify their IT setup or enhance safety and manageability. It’s even a superb flex for companies centered on sustainability, permitting some organizations to cut back e-waste and vitality consumption.

But the largest draw will most likely be Chrome OS Flex as a solution to the rising ransomware risk, significantly for companies which were hit and are open to switching away from Windows. Chrome OS is way extra locked down than Windows, making it tougher for hackers to assault.

Nordic Choice Hotels was hit by a ransomware attack in December, shutting down operations for its 200 resorts throughout Scandinavia. The Conti ransomware, which the US authorities has been aggressively pursuing, encrypted the resort’s computer systems and held them at ransom. The resort chain had been contemplating a transfer to Chrome OS as a sustainability effort and was capable of instantly convert its 2,000 Windows machines to Chrome OS Flex in lower than 48 hours. Employees have been despatched USB keys with a one-page doc on methods to carry out the improve.

Not all companies and faculties will be capable to simply change to Chrome OS Flex, significantly in the event that they depend on present Windows apps and methods which might be designed with Windows in thoughts. Virtualization software program like Cameyo actually helps, however Microsoft has dominated PCs for greater than 30 years, so there are deep-rooted dependencies that may’t all the time be solved by virtualization alone. Relying solely on a cloud-powered OS additionally has its drawbacks, as we noticed final 12 months with two unhealthy Chrome OS updates that left some locked out of their Chromebooks and others with efficiency points.

Chromebooks have actually proven the world there’s a sturdy various to Windows, significantly for training the place it has thrived because of Chromebooks. Chrome OS Flex is one more alternative for many who wish to transfer away from Windows.