Google LLC is introducing a new “Grab n Go” offering for businesses designed to help information technology department administrators support employees with easily deployed loaner devices.

The program is all about minimizing the impact of downtime, an unavoidable issue for numerous large enterprises that costs them an average of $60 million a year, Google IT operations manager Russ White wrote in a blog post, citing data from IHS Markit Ltd.

White explained that these costs pile up not only because of the need to repair broken devices or buy replacements, but also because employees often spend hours of time trying to troubleshoot issues themselves, instead of working on their projects. The simplest solution then, he explained, is for that employee to just loan another device while their own is being fixed.

That’s where Google’s self-service Grab and Go program could come in handy, White suggested. He explained that the program involves businesses keeping a rack of fully charged Chromebooks powered by the Chrome operating system on hand, available 24/7, so that employees can quickly pick one up as needed and immediately continue with their work.

“Chrome devices and Chrome Enterprise are the key ingredients that make this program so effective,” White said. “As soon as an issue arises, employees can grab any of these devices and log in through their corporate account. Because their work is already stored in the cloud, they can jump back into projects immediately, as if they never left their old device.”

The program is more effective than if a company were to simply buy a bunch of spare laptops for such situations, White said. That’s because the Chromebooks can be linked to the IT departments’ Google Admin Console, so that the company’s management policies are automatically applied upon startup. This ensures the device is secure and the employee can also access all of their bookmarks, passwords, extensions, browsing history and personal settings immediately.

Google has been running the Grab ‘n’ Go program for its own employees in several of its offices around the world for some time already, and has seen more than 30,000 users rack up more than 100,000 loans in the last year. The company estimated that its initial investment was paid off in the lost productivity time it saved within just 50 days.

Besides using Grab ‘n’ Go to replace broken devices, Google also touted the program as a solution for employees who only need temporary access to a device.

Google said its Grab ‘n’ Go program will soon be made available via an early access program to interested businesses.

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