Dell is launching two enterprise-ready Latitude Chromebooks with global support, management tools, maintenance plans and Workspace One to bridge Chrome OS and Windows devices.
With the move, Dell will support Google's Chrome OS in 50 countries and 10 different languages. "There's an opportunity for Dell and Google to enable the consumption of Chrome OS without disruption and a consistent purchase and ownership path," said Brett Hansen, VP and GM of Client Software and Security Solutions.
Add it up, and the launch of Dell's Latitude 5400 and 5300 2-in-1 Chromebooks go well beyond hardware. The partnership with Dell and Google is about scaling Chromebook deployments and giving enterprises avenue to add Chrome OS devices to the workplace along with Microsoft Windows devices.
The Dell Chromebooks are the first volley in Google's Chromebook Enterprise program with more devices to follow. Chromebook Enterprise devices have an improved admin console, developer features and advanced security.
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Chromebooks have been popular in education and small businesses, but its encroachment to the enterprise has been limited due to the dominance of Microsoft's Windows and the app ecosystem in place. But, as more enterprises use browser-based applications and software as a service, Chromebooks could find more use cases in companies that typically offer choices between Windows PCs and Apple Macbooks.
Google's goal: Bring the dogfight that is the education space between Apple, Google, and Microsoft into the enterprise.
Eve Phillips, group product manager for Chrome OS Commercial, said the partnership with Dell builds an ecosystem around Chromebook support and maintenance. "It is about finding ways to bring Chrome into the environment," she said.
The new Dell Latitude Chromebooks are designed for the following:
- Easy service changes for components such as processor and storage.
- A bevy of ports.
- 20 hours of battery life.
- Deployment, management, and security tools.
- Workspace One, which manages Chrome and Windows devices and can orchestrate device management.
- Virtual desktop tools to run Windows apps on Chromebooks.
- Preboot diagnostics to remediate issues.
"We worked intimately with Google to meet the expectations of a large enterprise and create the ecosystem to support it," said Hansen. "We are actively engaging with enterprise customers about Chrome."
Ultimately, the total cost of ownership will tell the Chromebook tale, but Google's partnership with Dell adds a lot of the prerequisite support and maintenance programs.
Also: Acer Chromebook Spin 13 review: A versatile and affordable Chromebook with impressive battery life | HP Chromebook 14A G5 review: An AMD-powered workhorse for education or business users | Best Chromebook laptops for college and school in 2019
A few details about the Latitude Chromebooks.
- The Latitude 5400 is a 14-inch device, and the Latitude 5300 is a 2-in-1 device.
- The Chromebooks offer options for 32GB of memory, 1TB storage, and the latest 8th Generation Intel processors up to Core i7.
- Mobile broadband and Wi-Fi support.
- Support for ExpressCharge, which can charge your PC up to 80% in an hour.
- Dell Technologies Unified Workspace integration as well as VMware Workspace One.
- ProSupport Plus for maintenance.
Update: Article updated to reflect that Dell supports 10 languages, not the 12 initially reported. Disclosure: ZDNet may earn a commission from some of the products featured on this page.