Google LLC today announced that Chrome OS Flex, a cloud-first operating system for Macs and PCs, is now out of beta and available to scale across enterprise fleets.

As devices and networks age, they begin to slow down, especially as more applications are added, updates build up and hardware falls behind the times. This bloat makes it more difficult to manage large fleets of computers and devices alongside increasingly demanding software as well as opening up security risks.

Chrome OS, the operating system that underlies Chromebooks, relies on a regular update schedule and a proactive security model that also makes them easier to manage. This is the principle behind Flex as well as its enterprise fleet management model.

The OS was launched into early-access mode in February so early adopters and testers could get their hands on it and give the team feedback about the software. The team used this data to build address issues with the operating system and fix problems while adding even more devices that it could run on before today’s launch.

Chrome OS Flex has now certified over 400 different devices and the team is working to make it available for even more.

Thomas Riedl, director of product management at Chrome OS, and Mike Wendling, group product manager for Chrome OS Flex, told SiliconANGLE in an interview that it was quite a journey for the operating system since the early access phase as users tried it out on numerous different devices.

“We’ve learned a ton over the past couple of months. It’s been eye-opening,” Riedl said. “One thing that surprised me personally is that it meets so many of our customer’s needs. We’ve seen it deployed on kiosks at reception desks, we’ve seen it used by tinkerers who found an Apple MacBook in their attic that was years old and brought it back to life and it felt much faster than it had ever been. And we’ve seen it used by enterprise customers for front-line staff and in hospitals.”

Wendling said this release has been in the works for almost two years the past few months, especially the early access since February, have felt like preparation for a sprint. The team has been focusing heavily on product stability and making the underlying system production-ready.

“We’ve gotten a lot of great feedback and we’ve achieved a level of stability we’re very comfortable within the last four to six weeks,” Wendling said. “I think to us we feel like we’re in the sprinter’s block. We’ve been training and it’s time to get out of the sprinter’s block and run like crazy.”

Deployment and management of Flex for enterprise users are designed to be as simple as possible for administrators. It can be rapidly deployed via USB flash drives or to machines attached to a network. From there users can log in and will be automatically synced to their cloud profile, settings and policies via a management interface controlled by a cloud-based management interface.

Enterprise users also won’t need to lose access to their Windows applications when switching over. Cameyo, a Chrome Enterprise Recommended partner, allows administrators to combine Chrome OS Flex’s cloud-first flexibility and security while retaining access to Windows apps.

Aside from being resistant to security issues caused by viruses, malware and ransomware, Chrome OS Flex can also be used to recover quickly from such attacks. When Nordic Choice Hotels was shut down by ransomware, its team was able to convert more than 2,000 machines across 200 hotels in under 48 hours to get up and running again using printouts and USB flash drives.

“Deployment of ChromeOS Flex really saved us,” Bjørn Arild Wisth, deputy chief executive of Nordic Choice Hotels. “When you have a stable, safe, and no-hassle operating system at the hotels, that really, really affects our employees, and of course the guests as well.”

In light of malware and ransomware attacks, Cameyo also has a product called Rapid Recovery that when paired with Chrome OS Flex can help a business get back on its feet quickly. It runs on Google Cloud and provides a separate, secure cloud desktop environment to which users can be instantly switched in the event of an on-premises disruption.

Installing Chrome OS Flex on older equipment also gives it a second chance at life and avoids adding to the amount of e-waste generated. Global e-waste volumes grew by 21% between 2014 and 2019, according to a report from the United Nations, a pace that could double in the next 16 years. The world discarded more than 53.6 million tons of e-waste in 2019, the equivalent of throwing out more than 800 laptops every second.

“By allowing people to use devices longer, thus keeping them out of landfills longer, we make the biggest impact we can on sustainability,” Wendling said. “That’s really where Flex meets a business need for customers by allowing them to extend the life of devices while getting more out of them for the remainder of a device’s useful lifetime and it keeps them out of landfills.”

Chrome OS Flex also uses less power than normal operating systems by consuming 19% less energy on average than other devices. Depending on how many devices have been swapped to Flex, this could amount to tremendous savings on the electric bill.

An important takeaway that Wendling felt that users experienced during the early access period is that often after devices pass their apparent usefulness date and slow down, they tend to put them on the shelf and they feel they’re no longer useful.

“A lot of people take devices and they feel like they’ve slowed down on them, then they buy an upgrade and they put it on the shelf,” Wendling said. “Their perception now is that older hardware is no longer capable at all. Now, they pull it out of storage or off that shelf and put Chrome OS Flex on it, they learn that it’s not actually the hardware at all. With the right operating system, it becomes capable.”

For individuals, trying out Chrome OS Flex is simple and free. All that’s required is a USB drive to install it on a device, or simply boot and run from the USB to try it out before installing. For enterprise users, devices can be enrolled with Chrome Enterprise Upgrade and managed side-by-side in Google Admin console and there is a 30-day free trial.

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