OT - Using a Chromebook as a business PC?

[texbike]

Hey Team,

Is anyone using a Chromebook as their primary business PC? What are your thoughts on capabilities and limitations? I've read a number of reviews online, but would love to hear real world experience from any Paceline members that are using a Chromebook successfully (or unsuccessfully) in a business setting.

Thanks!

Texbike

[YoKev]

What are your day to day tasks on a PC?

I've been using my Acer Chromebook since 2014.

It links up with everything you'd use on a Google platform, and it does it relatively well.

I really only use mine for web browsing and gmail though. Also, it streams YouTube, Hulu, Netflix just fine.

I bought mine as a refurbished unit and it cost a grand total of $150. Your mileage may vary.

[C40_guy]

Hey Team,

Is anyone using a Chromebook as their primary business PC?

I just started using one a week ago. It's a pretty interesting platform, one that does take some getting used to. I'm using it with an external monitor, a Logitech 580 keyboard (Chromebook specific) and an Apple trackpad.

It's particularly useful if your coworkers are also using G Suite for mail, docs, etc. The online collaboration is quite different than "who has the latest version of the spreadsheet."

Full disclosure -- I didn't have a choice -- my new employer owns the back-end and the operating system. :) In my case, the environment is beautifully integrated.

[texbike]

What are your day to day tasks on a PC?

I've been using my Acer Chromebook since 2014.

It links up with everything you'd use on a Google platform, and it does it relatively well.

I really only use mine for web browsing and gmail though. Also, it streams YouTube, Hulu, Netflix just fine.

I bought mine as a refurbished unit and it cost a grand total of $150. Your mileage may vary.

I've been using MS OS-based PCs for years. I'm a heavy user of email (O365), interwebs, Word/Excel/Powerpoint, and PDFs on a daily basis. Most of the work-related resources that I use are web-based like Salesforce, Marketo, Zoom, and more along those lines. A good camera and mic are important for conference calls. I'm just wondering what limitations a Chromebook might have outside of limited local storage and non-native MS apps to handle workloads like this.

I just started using one a week ago. It's a pretty interesting platform, one that does take some getting used to. I'm using it with an external monitor, a Logitech 580 keyboard (Chromebook specific) and an Apple trackpad.

It's particularly useful if your coworkers are also using G Suite for mail, docs, etc. The online collaboration is quite different than "who has the latest version of the spreadsheet."

Full disclosure -- I didn't have a choice -- my new employer owns the back-end and the operating system. :) In my case, the environment is beautifully integrated.

Interesting! Thanks for the feedback. Our company is still on PCs. However, I'm considering doing something else and thinking about the infrastructure needed to handle that. Would a Chromebook be appropriate for the typical daily worker workloads? The positives seem high - reliability, increased levels of security, and a lower cost of entry than a comparable (if it's even possible to compare) PC. Off the top, the downsides seem to be a minimal amount of local storage and the use of the Google suite of products versus Microsoft. The storage issue seems to be more of a personal thing and just have to become accustomed to storing info in the cloud versus locally.

What else am I missing? Do they seem "clunky" in their use at all? Anything weird? I can fly through tasks on my PC and would hate to lose that ability.

Thanks!

Texbike

[schwa86]

I bought one, immediately wiped it and installed Linux Mint. Does most of the things I want to do -- major problem is editing/viewing complex ppt stuff. But I like the form factor, etc. and via Linux can do most of the vpn, email, zoom and other things i need for work.

[jkbrwn]

I don't, but I could very easily. I am a sysadmin. A lot of my stuff is browser based due to SaaS/IaaS apps being cloud hosted. There is also a Citrix Receiver for Chrome OS (we use Citrix for remote working), I can easily connect to a virtual machine in my university's server room and work as if I was on a Windows/macOS based machine. I know that a fair few staff members are happily using personal Chromebooks to work remotely using Zoom, the online implementation of MS Office and Outlook Web Access.

I think it really depends on the core tools/software you need to access.

[C40_guy]

What else am I missing? Do they seem "clunky" in their use at all? Anything weird? I can fly through tasks on my PC and would hate to lose that ability.



I've been pretty impressed with the ChromeBook...it is pretty zippy...

It is a culture shift, just like moving from DOS to Windows, or Windows to MacOS. You're going to be doing almost everything in a browser window, or via apps downloaded from the Google app store.

If you're the only one in a group, you're not going to see the collaboration benefits.

You should probably borrow one and play with it for a week or two...or just try living in your Chrome browser for a week... that might be instructive...

[CMiller]

I think chromebooks are outstandingly good and cost effective for most people, but I am not sure they’re right for you.

You should spend a week working entirely through the browser versions of your applications (I.e. google sheets and docs). I think there’s a tiny performance drop which doesn’t matter to most but if you live in the apps then it matters. Also, they are a bit more bottle necked by your internet speed, my research laptop works fine with local storage if I head somewhere with no strong internet connection like a train, I think chrome books are more restricted there.

[CMiller]

Also it’s worth getting an external mic and webcam if it’s important, they’re not expensive and even the nicest laptops look awful compared to an iPhone camera haha.

[Gsinill]

Also depends on what business you are in.
I.e. I work for a big IT company who blacklists a lot of apps even on our physical PCs due to security concerns, mostly regarding 3rd party companies potentially gaining access to my company's information.

Given the concept, I would assume this could be an even greater issue with a Chromebook.
N/A if you're on your own...

[retropean]

Depends on what you do for a living, but if it’s just standard office tasks, why not get a used business surplus Thinkpad? Throw an SSD in it and even the t420/x220s are serviceable for most tasks. $120 all in and you have a drop proof/water proof laptop.

[paredown]

Depends on what you do for a living, but if it’s just standard office tasks, why not get a used business surplus Thinkpad? Throw an SSD in it and even the t420/x220s are serviceable for most tasks. $120 all in and you have a drop proof/water proof laptop.

I like the way you think--although I'm not really using a laptop these days, so I just eBayed my X220. It was a pretty nice little machine. And I have serially owned Thinkpads since the T20--solid machines and enjoyed their reliability.

I was wondering about data security which took my down the rabbit hole--and I think the answer is--it's up to you to shut down as much as you can of the Google hoover.

[texbike]

...or just try living in your Chrome browser for a week... that might be instructive...

You should spend a week working entirely through the browser versions of your applications (I.e. google sheets and docs).

Great suggestion!

Depends on what you do for a living, but if it’s just standard office tasks, why not get a used business surplus Thinkpad? Throw an SSD in it and even the t420/x220s are serviceable for most tasks. $120 all in and you have a drop proof/water proof laptop.

I've been a Thinkpad user as well for many years and really like them. However, I was just curious about using a Chromebook as an alternative to my standard Microsoft-based PC and ecosystem.

Texbike

[kevinvc]

I thought I'd tack onto this thread rather than start a whole new one. My main computer is an old Dell tower and it needs to be replaced. Fixing the parts that don't work or are failing is not worth it.

I'm thinking of a Chromebook since I don't use this for any heavy lifting; all of that is on my work-issued laptop.

Where I'm getting hung up is in selecting the right option. Some Chromebooks go for more than a lot of mid-level PC laptops. The most processor intensive thing I would be doing is streaming video or maybe getting into Zwift. Other than that, pretty much just browsing the internet and doing emails. My wife would probably do her Facebook stuff.

I definitely want HDMI output and a minimum of 3 USB slots. Any suggestions on what minimum processor, video card, etc. to make sure it has or where to start looking? I don't know anything about Linux other than that some people really dig it.

[C40_guy]

Where I'm getting hung up is in selecting the right option. Some Chromebooks go for more than a lot of mid-level PC laptops. The most processor intensive thing I would be doing is streaming video or maybe getting into Zwift. Other than that, pretty much just browsing the internet and doing emails. My wife would probably do her Facebook stuff.



In July I was issued a standard Pixelbook. With all the time spend on video conferencing, people were finding that the fanless laptops were having trouble keeping up and I got a higher end Asus ChromeBox. Note...I work from home, so I don't really need the portability...and I still have the PB. :)

I'm running an external monitor, a Logitech 580 keyboard and an Apple Trackpad. Also running a Logitech Brio webcam.

I *just* ordered a 34" Dell curved screen, with picture in picture and KVM, so I should be able to run both my Mac Mini (for personal stuff) and the Chromebox on that one screen. Getting rid of a redundant keyboard and trackpad, along with 2 20" monitors, should clean up my desk a bit...

[Bob Ross]

My wife uses a Chromebook -- actually, two of them -- for business. Suffice it to say, I hear way more about the limitations than I do about the benefits

...unless we're travelling and she's laughing about how much my HP laptop weighs.

[9tubes]

I've been using MS OS-based PCs for years. I'm a heavy user of email (O365), interwebs, Word/Excel/Powerpoint, and PDFs on a daily basis. Most of the work-related resources that I use are web-based like Salesforce, Marketo, Zoom, and more along those lines. A good camera and mic are important for conference calls. I'm just wondering what limitations a Chromebook might have outside of limited local storage and non-native MS apps to handle workloads like this.

*** snip ***

Our company is still on PCs. However, I'm considering doing something else and thinking about the infrastructure needed to handle that. Would a Chromebook be appropriate for the typical daily worker workloads? The positives seem high - reliability, increased levels of security, and a lower cost of entry than a comparable (if it's even possible to compare) PC. Off the top, the downsides seem to be a minimal amount of local storage and the use of the Google suite of products versus Microsoft. The storage issue seems to be more of a personal thing and just have to become accustomed to storing info in the cloud versus locally.

What else am I missing? Do they seem "clunky" in their use at all? Anything weird? I can fly through tasks on my PC and would hate to lose that ability.

Thanks!

Texbike


You haven't said what your company does. The biggest challenge of a Chromebook (to me at least) is that if you also use the Google Suite then you're putting your company's secrets with Google and giving them the legal right to read and to use them. If you run a bike shop this might be no big deal, but for many ventures this is (or should be) a deal-breaker. For one of many examples, if your company signs non-disclosure agreements with technology partners then disclosing confidential information to Google is a violation of those NDAs as well as the Uniform Trade Secrets Act.

Another thought: Local processing and data storage is handy. Google regularly has multi-hour outages. Some people have workflows where they don't need to have access throughout the workday, but others are in a position where a two-hour outage means a missed deadline or missed income. See https://www.engadget.com/google-cloud-gsuite-gmail-outage-034841550.html and https://techcrunch.com/2020/09/24/google-meet-and-other-google-services-go-down.

The last thought: To me, buying a Chromebook as a primary work computer is like being a building contractor and buying a 2004 Chevy Luv as a primary work vehicle. You can do it, but is it optimal if your productivity depends on it?