Google Preparing "Business Edition" Chrome OS

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At the RSA cryptogaraphy conference in San Francisco this week, Will Drewry, a Google software security engineer, revealed some interesting upcoming products from Google, including that the Big G is preparing an enterprise-focused “Business Edition” of their Chrome OS. Likewise, he confirmed that Google is following up on the consumer Chrome OS with a netbook.

A consumer Google Netbook will ship later this year, with a business Google Netbook coming in 2011, Drewry said. With the RSA conference mainly appealing to security IT professionals, Drewry assured the crowd on the security of the Chrome OS.

Drewry said that Chrome OS featured auto-updating and sandboxing features that reduce exposure to malware. Like the Chrome web browser, Chrome OS was a “safe browsing” feature where it will warn the user if they attempt to go to a known malware-spreading website. Overall, Drewry described Chrome OS as an “hardened” OS.

However, the Google Netbook can be set into “Developer Mode” where some of the strict security features on Chrome OS can be disabled. “Developer Mode” is activated by a hidden switch under the netbook’s battery. This will allow developers to work freely without the security measures, or as Drewry put it, “do whatever you want.”

To further secure the Google Netbook, it will include a Trusted Platform Module (TPM), a secure cryptoprocessor that assists in disk encryption. As always, Drewry said that Google will constantly be updating Chrome OS with security updates from feedback from developers.

No exact dates or pricing on the Google Netbook. The consumer edition is coming “later this year” with the enterprise model coming “next year”.