(Credit: Joseph Maldonado/PCMag)
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Google now has a tempting proposition for businesses that use custom Windows apps or have a fleet of Windows 10 machines.
Cameyo by Google lets enterprises stream legacy Windows apps to computers running ChromeOS. It works with Chromebooks and PCs converted to Google's desktop OS using ChromeOS Flex. IT departments get unified management and security; users get Gemini AI.
With Cameyo, a virtual app platform that Google acquired last year, your legacy Windows or Linux apps are streamed to Chrome on a ChromeOS device or to a progressive web app (PWA), which makes web apps appear like regular apps. I’ve long been a fan of PWAs and use them daily for things like Gmail and the excellent Photopea image-editing app. These apps dispense with the clutter of the browser interface and have standard app icons in the Launcher and Shelf, just as they do in the Windows Start menu or Taskbar when you run PWAs on Microsoft’s OS.
Even though the apps appear to be web apps or PWAs, they can be any desktop application, even heavy hitters like AutoCAD or Excel. But a big draw for enterprises will be the ability to run custom business applications, which normally require a substantial Windows PC, on a lightweight ChromeOS device. Switching to Cameyo, combined with Chrome Enterprise, means that IT departments only have to manage one class of app rather than two.
Gemini for Both App Types
The strategy has another big advantage to business users: They can apply Gemini AI smarts to their legacy applications as they can with modern web apps. Of course, on Windows the same could be said for Copilot features. But with the Google solution, you get the Gemini features built into Google Workplace as well. With this setup, Gemini can summarize reports or documents and get information from a video, all while keeping the context of multiple tabs.
Enterprise Security
Since Cameyo apps run in Chrome Enterprise, they benefit from the same security as purely web-delivered SaaS applications. That includes the Advanced Protection Program, URL filtering, and granular Data Loss Prevention (DLP) controls. Cameyo itself boasts Zero Trust security.
"Organizations leveraging Google’s security ecosystem can also now benefit from a new one-click integration with Google SecOps and Chrome," Google says. "This integration delivers unprecedented browser intelligence, including data loss events and risky activity, to SecOps, empowering security teams to conduct more thorough investigations and make faster, better-informed decisions."
Google claims that moving legacy apps can happen in hours rather than weeks, adding to the appeal of the setup. Formerly, a solution like Citrix would require multiple puzzle pieces to work, including a license server, a SQL database, delivery controllers, VDAs, and an imaging system.
A Good Choice for Enterprises
As more and more business apps have become web apps, this new offering by Google gives companies that still rely on legacy custom applications an on-ramp to a more modern and affordable environment. The inexpensive hardware, the ability to repurpose older Windows 10 PCs that are ineligible for Windows 11 upgrade, the simple setup and management, the Gemini AI, and the centralized security all add up to Cameyo by Google being a win-win proposition.