Google and VMWare today announced a joint promotion that will give U.S. customers $200 off Google Chromebooks for Business with VMware Horizon Desktop as a Service (DaaS). Erik Frieberg, VP of Product Marketing and End-User Computing at VMware, noted that the announcement is a direct response to Microsoft‘s decision to stop offering Windows XP support. He added that Google and VMWare’s annoucement is good news for the nearly 30 percent of desktop users who are still running Windows XP.

“The end of XP support is not just an issue for individuals. If you are one of the many of businesses still running XP to maintain legacy software or custom-built apps, with end of support comes ‘significant’ security and privacy risks,” Frieberg wrote in a VMware blog post today. “It’s time to change … It’s time to embrace a new way to work in the Mobile Cloud Era while still supporting the legacy and custom-built apps of the past. The good news … VMware and Google are happy to help.”

According to Frieberg, VMware Horizon DaaS reduces labor costs compared to traditional on-premise desktop virtualization solutions by over 50 percent. In addition, he claimed that VMware Horizon DaaS allows organizations to better manage their IT resources.

“This unique solution empowers organizations looking for an alternative to on-premise virtual desktops or application publishing for their Google Chromebooks. Unlike traditional desktop virtualization solutions, VMware Horizon DaaS is fast to deploy, requires minimal IT skills and no upfront capital,” Frieberg wrote in a VMware blog post.

Google Enterprise President Amit Singh noted that Forrester Research urged businesses to purchase Chromebooks last year. He also claimed that Chromebooks can save businesses up to $5,000 per computer versus traditional PCs.

“Through our partnership with VMware, businesses can now capitalize on these advantages with access to legacy applications, data and desktops they need to keep employees productive,” Singh said in a press release.

Michael Coté, Research Director for Infrastructure Software at 451 Research, pointed out that Google and VMware’s announcement will help Google promote its Chromebooks as viable business tools.

“VMware’s partnership means that there’s one way to keep using Windows applications on Chromebooks,” Coté told Talkin’ Cloud. “As things like BYOD (bring-your-own-device) and the spread of iOS and Android devices in the enterprise plays out, companies will need some way of accessing these Windows apps.”