Google and Dell are teaming up to take on Microsoft with two enterprise-ready Chromebooks, according to reports.
Dell is launching Chrome OS takes on a pair of its popular business-focused laptops in the form of the Latitude 5400 Chromebook Enterprise and the Latitude 5300 2-in-1 Chromebook Enterprise.
Both of these computers will be the first machines to fall under Google's new Chromebook Enterprise line, which will see the search giant and partner hardware makers keenly target Chromebooks at business use. While Chromebooks aren't unknown to the business world, they haven't taken the market by storm, with Microsoft dominating in the enterprise arena and Chromebooks finding more use in the education sector.
But Google hopes to challenge Microsoft in a more comprehensive manner with the Chromebook Enterprise line, with Dell helping lead the charge.
"Chromebook Enterprise is a game-changer for businesses looking for a modern OS that provides end-users with speed and productivity, while offering IT the comprehensive security they need," said John Solomon, vice president of Chrome OS at Google. "As a longtime global leader in the enterprise, Dell Technologies has a deep understanding of end-user and IT needs and is a natural fit to bring powerful devices with the benefits of Chrome Enterprise to businesses worldwide."
"IT administrators want to give users choice when it comes to OS, device, and when and where work gets done, but they struggle with the growing number of unmanaged devices in their environments," said Jay Parker, president of the Client Product Group at Dell. "By adding Chrome to Dell Technologies Unified Workspace, we're giving IT the power to offer a consistent and secure experience for everyone, no matter the OS they choose. And best of all, users get the flexibility to choose the devices and use cases that fit their needs."
For the two Latitudes models, Dell will bundle in its cloud-based support services, which allow admins to have greater control over how these Chromebooks are deployed within their business. This should help IT admins integrate the Chromebooks into existing Windows environments and manage them through tools like VMware Workspace One.
The Latitude 5400 will have a 14in screen and start at 449, while the 13inch the 5300 13inch 2-in-1 has a starting price of 699. Both can be configured with Intel's 8th Gen Core i7 processors, up to 32GB of RAM.
