How Google's 24/7 Grab and Go program improves productivity, eliminates IT headaches | Innovation Tech

Google’s new Grab and Go system, announced in a Tuesday blog post, allows employees 24/7 access to fully-charged Chromebooks, saving them time and improving productivity.

The Chromebooks will be on centrally-located, self-service stations, where employees can borrow and return the devices as needed, said the post. This allows them to get back to work quickly if they encounter an issue.

If an employee’s device isn’t operating, the cost of replacement isn’t the only negative effect, said the blog post. Employees waste working hours troubleshooting the device instead of actually getting work done. Additionally, IT teams have to spend time repairing or replacing each broken device, continued the post. In fact, this IT downtime costs a business some $60 million a year, according to IHS.

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That’s where Grab and Go comes into play. In a matter of seconds, employees can be logging onto their corporate account through a new device. Since their work would be stored in the cloud, the post explained, employees can return right back to their work as if nothing changed.

Through the Google Admin Console, the company’s management policies are immediately applied to each Chromebook, the post noted. The Admin Console will guarantee that your employees are on a secure device, with access to all information necessary to continue working, which makes the Grab and Go program easier for IT teams as well, said the post. Employees can also use Chrome Sync to get their browsing histories, personal settings, passwords, extensions, and bookmarks all onto the temporary device.

Upon signing-in to a Grab and Go Chromebook, employees are sent an email with instructions on how to return the device or how to extend the loan. No rebook or setup is necessary to go in between users since Chrome OS automatically encrypts each user profile, said the post.

Google has deployed the Grab and Go system to some of its own offices, resulting in more than 30,000 unique users racking up more than 100,000 loans in a year, according to the post. With Grab and Go’s quick and easy operation, the system is ideal for frontline workers, shift workers, and remote workers, said the post.

If your business is interested in trying Grab and Go’s Early Access Program, click here.

The big takeaways for tech leaders:

• Google’s Grab and Go program allows employees to borrow Chromebooks if their devices aren’t functioning properly.
• The program saves businesses time and money by eliminating troubleshooting time for both employees and IT teams.

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