Google offers heavy discounts on enterprise Chromebooks to fill the Windows XP void

Google has brought down the hammer at just the right time. The company’s Chrome OS-based laptops and the odd desktop bring a new personal computing experience, one tied heavily into Google’s ecosystem. It’s worked well so far for the company as it adds new manufacturers as hardware partners and brings new form factors for wider consumption.   But the one niche that Google is itching for Chromebooks to hit is enterprise. Windows still rules the roost when it comes to office computing, but with Windows XP support being officially stopped on April 8, Google is seeing a big opportunity for Chrome OS. “Don’t let your business go the way of tamagotchis and parachute pants. It’s time for a real change — something we can all agree upon,” the company says.   Google has announced heavy discounts for Chromebooks for Business systems. “Chromebooks for Business offers you a secure and easy-to-use computing experience, along with a central web-based management console and lower total cost of ownership. If you’ve been considering Chromebooks for your company, until June 30, we’re sweetening the deal,” Amit Singhal, the President for Google Enterprise said in an official blog post.   Offices buying Chromebooks for Business will get $100 off for each managed device they purchase. For employees who need to access Windows desktop apps, Google has tied up with Citrix and VMware for support for these apps. Businesses will get $200 off Chromebooks for Business with VMware Desktop as a Service (DaaS) pre-installed. And 25 percent discount on the Citrix XenApp Platinum Edition software, which includes AppDNA software for migration of data from XP-running machines. Singhal wrote, “Customers, like Woolworths, access Windows applications in a virtual environment through providers like Citrix, VMware and others.”