Enterprise Communicationsgoogle

Chrome Enterprise CCaaS – New Paper

by Dave Michels

I switched to a Chromebook for travel in 2018. It was a bit of a personal challenge to see if one can survive on such a limited device. I still use it exclusively on travel, and it’s not a limited device.

When travelling I need to be connected, esp email and Twitter. I use two Gmail accounts and access Twitter via Tweetdeck, Twitter.com, and sometimes the Twitter Android client. The Chromebook does fine with all the major online meeting services. I do most of my writing in GDocs (which supports Word docs), but I also use Word Online. Often at events I record a video. I use the Chromebook as a camcorder and edit the video with an Android app. All of my Chrome extensions (workflows) work on my Chromebook. On flights I sometimes purchase Wi-Fi, or simply process email offline and watch downloaded content on Android Netflix.

If it was just about doing what I did on my Windows laptop, there’s not much benefit. Here’s why I stick with the Chromebook:

  1. Battery: Chromebooks are efficient. It can last most of the day on a battery which also means long flights.
  2. Secure: I am not bothered about viruses and other threats. It does have some local data, but it’s all encrypted.
  3. Upgrades: The upgrades occur in the background. I’ve carried my Windows laptop open into taxis while the forced upgrade displays: “Do not turn off.” Windows upgrades seem to be timed with hotel check-outs.
  4. Multi-device: I have several Chromebooks now, including one by my TV and one in my backpack. They are in sync with my Windows desktop and laptop.
  5. Price: There’s a good selection of Chromebooks. A good one can be purchased for < $500. Lots of different styles. I have a convertible model and a tablet style with a removable keyboard.

My primary desktop remains a PC. I use a variety of Windows apps at World Headquarters. I could solve this with VDI or other solutions, but Windows is easier. I will say that my primary app is Chrome, and I typically have about 30 tabs open. On the other hand, if my role/workflow was more defined, a Chromebox or Chromebook would be attractive.

I learned that Chrome OS requires some learning/adapting, but the bottom line is Chromebooks are vastly misunderstood. They are indeed highly capable devices. Google saw explosive growth in Chromebooks during the pandemic (education and enterprise) and that’s no coincidence. Many IT professionals are discovering that Chromebooks are highly versatile devices and easier to support. Work-at-home initiatives make the Chromebook very attractive for IT.

This brings me to Chrome Enterprise Recommended 

Google introduced Chrome Enterprise Recommended last year. It’s a series of tracks where Google has certified selected, cloud-native partners. For example, the Communications Track includes Cisco Webex, Slack, RingCentral, and Zoom. These partners have Chrome and Chrome OS ready solutions. The difference between Chrome and Chrome Enterprise are a collection of administrative and management tools such as SSO, remote wipe, and more.

Today, Google announced a new track for CCaaS.

The program launched with seven contact center solution providers: 8×8, Cisco, Edify, Five9, Genesys, RingCentral, and Vonage.

This is a logical and exciting progression. It reflects that CCaaS is largely web native and browser-based, and that large deployments can benefit from additional management capabilities. These providers are going a step further and embracing Chrome Enterprise for enhanced management, security, and administration. The Chromebook is an ideal device for agents in general. It can support all the necessary communication channels and workflow integrations. It’s particularly ideal for agents at home as a single device can replace a PC (compute, keyboard, cam, and audio) and phone. Most USB peripherals, such as headsets, work well on Chromebooks and there’s even a Works with Chromebook certified program for peripherals. The Chromebook is portable so good for hybrid situations, or consider a desktop device such as a Chromebox or Chromebase for the office.

I wrote about this a few months ago at NoJitter.

I’ve extended that post with more details on the Chrome OS and Chrome Enterprise Recommended program for CCaaS. Click here to download the Chrome OS for CCaaS paper.