Google and Dell on Monday unveiled the first Chromebook Enterprise devices in the Dell Latitude 5300 2-in-1 Chromebook Enterprise and the Dell Latitude 5400 Chromebook Enterprise. The 13- and 14-inch systems are configurable with up to 8th Gen Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, 32GB of RAM and up to 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD storage.
Google said the new systems offer multi-layered security to protect against threats and allow IT admins to easily provision, monitor and lock down devices while ensuring regular and controlled updates with Dell Technologies Unified Workspace. Dell will also become a reseller of G Suite and Drive Enterprise so teams can easily manage files both on and offline.
Businesses currently using Chromebooks can add the new Chrome Enterprise Upgrade and make use of the new Google Admin console for Chrome OS, which Google said provides 10-times faster load times. This will allow admins to enable a managed Linux environment on Chromebooks, which will let them grant access to specific users as well as offer VPN support for internal files. These are all backed by Dell’s Unified Workspace program that IT administrators can use to oversee their entire organizations’ fleet of devices across different operating systems and from the cloud.
Specifically on the new Latitude enterprise Chromebooks, IT professionals will appreciate that they come with year-round 24/7 Dell ProSupport as well as Chrome Enterprise support. They’ll also be able to conveniently add G Suite and Drive Enterprise via Dell, which will take on the task of reselling the Google service. This will let employees use apps like Docs, Sheets and Slides natively on the Chromebooks without worrying about remaining online.
Dell is the first OEM to partner with Google on the Chromebook Enterprise initiative but others will eventually join the fray. “This is not an exclusive with Dell,” Solomon noted.
The new Dell Latitude Chromebook Enterprise devices go on sale August 27 starting at $699 for the Latitude 5400 and $819 for the Latitude 5300.
