Background

Google Chrome OS is an operating system and computer that does one thing and one thing only: runs the Google Chrome web browser. You cannot save photos to it.  You cannot run Microsoft Word on it. There is no way to archive an email. Yes, Google Chrome OS is only good for working “in the cloud.”  ….and that is probably a good thing.

Working in the Cloud

I have long argued that you can do 95% of your business while only using cloud app.  And I do not mean small business, I mean big business, too.  Email, documents, database systems, customer care, video conferencing can all be done in the cloud effectively.

And if you are working completely in the cloud, why do you need a “regular” computer?  You do not need a CDROM or the ability to run install applications - you just need to be able to get to your cloud applications wherever you are.  So Google created a platform called Chrome OS that fits perfectly in this niche.  It is fast, runs on inexpesive hardware and allows you to access your cloud data when you need it.

Security, Encryption

One of the side benefits of Google’s Chrome OS is security.  First of all, you do not really store any data on Chrome OS…it is all kept in the cloud instead. So Chrome OS keeps your data secure by not storing any data at all.  But we all know that there are temp files and browser cache files on our computers - so what about that?  Chrome OS treats that secondary data as a first class citizen and encrypts all of it.  In fact, the user cannot opt out of encryption whether they would like to or not.  As a result, it is impossible to extract any data from a Chrome OS computer.  All of it is locked away and inaccessible.

eDiscovery

How much easier would your eDiscovery life be if your users could not store data on their computers?  No emails, no contracts, no instant messages.  Yeah, I though you would be interested in that. Chrome OS may very well be the best eDiscovery operating system ever created.  It forces users to store data on centralized, cloud-based resources and therefore stop data sprawl all over your network.

In Practice

I have been using a prototype Google Chrome OS laptop (thank you very much Google!) and I love it.  It is fast, responsive and allows me to get my work done. Even my document review platform is accessible via Google Chrome OS.  And while Google has some kinks to work out before their OS hits the consumer and business markets, it is clear that this form of computer is the wave of the future - as well as a sigh of relief to eDiscovery attorneys everywhere.