Google LLC today made a new service generally available that lets information technology administrators better manage access controls and features within its Chrome browser across organizations.

Chrome Browser Cloud Management, launched in beta in 2018, provides a way to centrally secure and maintain Chrome to optimize the experience for users.

Google said the service was introduced in response to feedback from enterprise IT admins who say they’re spending increasing amounts of time managing browser deployments. Chrome Browser Cloud Management is meant to speed up these tasks in a few different ways, for example by allowing admins to set security policies from a single console for browsers across Linux, Mac and Windows environments.

The service also extends to browser extensions. IT admins need to be able to control which extensions are being used by workers within their organizations for policy and security reasons. With Chrome Browser Cloud Management, admins get a full, organizationwide view of all the extensions people are using.

“They can get instant access to extension details, making it easy to decide which extensions to block or allow in their organization,” Google product manager Philippe Rivard wrote in a blog post. “It introduces a whole new level of control around extensions that will help enterprises improve their extension strategy.”

Finally, the service provides important information about which kinds of devices people are using to access Chrome, which version of the browser they’re using, the policies applied and more. Admins can also export this data for use with other systems and tools.

Chrome Browser Cloud Management is generally available now and immediately accessible to all G Suite users. Chrome Browser Enterprise Support, Chrome Enterprise license and Cloud Identity customers also gain immediate access to the service via the Device Management section of Google Admin Console.

Other admins can access Chrome Browser Cloud Management simply by signing up, without the need to enroll in Google’s other services.

Image: Google