As the Google I/O conference approaches this week, Google and its channel partners continue to push Chromebooks for education and business.

The VAR Guy

June 25, 2012

2 Min Read
Google, Partners Push Chromebooks for Education, Business

school of rock

As the Google I/O conference approaches this week, Google and its channel partners continue to push Chromebooks for education and business. Two examples: Leyden High School District from Illinois is deploying Chromebooks to 3,500 students, and Cloud Sherpas has deployed Chromebooks for School of Rock, a national music program headquartered in Burr Ridge, Ill. (no relation to the movie, despite The VAR Guy’s graphic). The Chromebook efforts won’t stop there.

No doubt, Google hopes to generate Chromebook and Chromebox buzz at its Google I/O developer event this week in San Francisco. Chromebooks and Chromeboxes are cloud-centric notebooks and desktops. They are available for a monthly fee or for outright purchase. The devices run Chrome OS, and Google’s cloud manages all of the software updates.

All Google I/O 2011 attendees received Chromebooks. And this year’s conference includes plenty of information for developers who want to write Chrome-compatible applications.

How well are the Chrome OS, Chromebook and Chromebox initiatives performing? Google has not released any sales figures. But the company’s enterprise blog continues to promote a steady drumbeat of wins.

Admittedly, Google Chromebooks are a super-niche solution compared to more traditional Apple- and Windows-oriented PCs. But here’s an interesting spin on things: Quite a few VARs are starting to realize that tomorrow’s customers — today’s students — are growing up on Google Apps. So even if you’re not reselling Google Chromebooks and Chromeboxes today, you at least need to understand Google’s SaaS, cloud and mobile device strategy to address customer questions down the road.

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