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Google abandons Windows OS in its work centers

by on01 June 2010

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Result of security concerns after China incident


According to
a new report from the Financial Times, Google is currently phasing out the internal use of Windows-based PCs in its corporate work centers and is transitioning over to Mac and Linux operating systems.

The directive comes from elevated security concerns that resulted after Google’s Chinese operations were hacked in January. Several Google employees have revealed that the company is not encouraging the use of Windows due to its high susceptibility to security exploits and vulnerabilities.

“Many people have been moved away from Windows PCs, mostly towards Mac OS, following the China hacking attacks,” said one employee. In early January, a handful of new hires were still allowed to install Windows on their notebooks and mobile devices, but it was a restricted option for their desktop computers. It is reported that some of Google’s employees expressed discontent over the company’s corporate policy towards the Windows operating system, but many employees indicate that the majority would have been more upset if they had banned Macs rather than Windows-based PCs. Google has long offered employees a choice of OS for their primary workstation. However, the sentiment does not seem to inflict much negative appeal.

Employees wanting to stay on Windows were required to be granted clearance from “quite senior levels”, one employee said. Getting a new Windows machine in the Google workplace “now requires CIO approval,” said another.

Certainly, a decision by Google to pull the plug on internal use of Windows machines does not spell the end for the OS. It simply creates a more security-conscious task force, one that is very much needed in a corporation focused on migrating the world’s most demanded software services into the cloud.

Last modified on 01 June 2010
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