As 2013 drew to a close, news broke that Google's Chromebook platform and devices were storming the U.S. commercial sales channels. Much of their success has been in places like school districts where low cost devices are needed for deployment to large student bodies. The good news for Google is that students are usually not locked into specific applications and schools tend to utilize cloud solutions to make the constant deployment of technology easier. Things are a little more difficult in corporate settings where business users tend to rely on more specific apps and companies may be more hesitant to use cloud solutions, especially with relatively more stable user populations. Google has taken a step to help break into that market with a recent agreement to work with VMWare to bring access to Windows desktops and applications to Chromebook devices.
According to Google's Director of Product Management for Chrome, Rajen Sheth, Chromebook users will be able to use VMWare Horizon DaaS to access Windows deployments that are running the VMWare Horizon View package. For the present time, the new solution will have to be deployed as “an on-premise service” or by a partner that supports VMWare's DaaS. However, Sheth indicates Google and VMWare expect to eventually make an application available through the Chrome Web Store to make it even easier to get it up and running.
According to Sheth, Google hopes the upcoming end of life for Windows XP will provide an opportunity for Google to get a foot in the door with corporate entities who may be looking for devices with a low total cost of ownership for deployment. Sheth also points out that Chromebooks bring a more centralized, web-based management model for IT shops and Chromebooks can avoid security and anti-virus costs associated with the Windows platform.
source: Google Enterprise Blog
