While creating a connected workforce can deliver significant business benefits, it also increases the risk your business will experience a security breach. The more connected devices you have, the more at risk you are from threats like data loss or malware. So you need IT solutions that protect you from bootup to shutdown. That means taking a hard look at the operating system you're using.
An operating system needs to deliver security at four levels:1. At the hardware level. Your device should only boot up if the operating system hasn't been corrupted. Chrome devices – all built to a base standard set by Google – come with a process called Verified Boot. It checks the signature of each part of the Chrome OS operating system and only lets it go through if everything is as it should be.
2. In the operating system. Any operating system will only remain secure if it's kept updated, but users will often ignore updates if they get in the way of their work. Chrome devices include two copies of the Chrome OS and apply updates to the backup copy, automatically and in the background. Users can get on with their work without even being aware they're getting security patches, and benefit from the updates next time they boot.
In a connected world, it's also likely that your team will use different devices, or that several people will share the same device. You need to ensure you apply the same level of security no matter where a user logs in, as well as prevent users from accessing each other's data or applications. In Chrome OS, security policies are tied to the user, so the same policies are enforced on every device. Chrome OS also encrypts data on a per-user basis, so users can't access data belonging to others stored on a shared device. You can even activate "ephemeral mode" to wipe any user data from devices when users log out.
3. At the application level. An operating system should also make sure apps can't leach data from other apps or infect them with malware. Chrome OS comes with features to ensure applications and processes only have the privileges they absolutely need and can't affect each other. With a Chrome Enterprise licence, you can also control which apps users can install, by using Managed Google Play to create a storefront for just the specific set of private and public apps and browser extensions you want your team to use.
4. At the management level. An operating system should make it easy to implement and update security policies – and allow updates to be made immediately. Chrome OS's cloud-based management console lets you set policies for each device and group of devices, and updates every device as soon as it connects again. Naturally, that provides a low TCO and minimises the time your IT team needs to spend on maintaining a high-level of security.
With all of this, it's no wonder Chrome is considered one of the world's most secure operating systems. Please click here to contact our Chrome experts and to find out more about how your company can benefit from the strong security built into every level of Chrome OS on its work computers.
