ChromeOS (or formerly Chrome OS) is presented a sa cloud-first operating system for enterprises.
According to Google, ChromeOS provides employees with a modern experience and devices that stay fast, have built-in security and deploy quickly. It is augmented with the Chrome Enterprise Connectors Framework, a collection of plug-and-play integrations.
ChromeOS is just as good as Windows. I feel it can be better sometimes because it starts up faster and more efficiently. I like how all the programs have similar interfaces and are easy to learn. There are less issues with ChromeOS than there are with Windows. And security is …
I use ChromeOS for all of my web browsing needs. From Zoom calls to YouTube channel management; from social media posting to content creation, ChromeOS is my browser of choice. The only time I don't use ChromeOS is if I need to keep a personal login separate from a professional account (for example, Canva). I use ChromeOS for my professional Canva account and a different browser for my personal account.
Windows Server and Active Directory is very robust and stable, it has been a staple in every IT environment I have worked in during my career. Junior to Intermediate admins can learn Windows Server easily, the user interfaces make administration tasks very easy as well as the documentation available through a vast amount of resources. There are other Operating Systems available with no GUI which has a smaller attack surface, faster update installation and reboot time. Windows Server does have the ability to remove the desktop experience, however it is not something I have had experience with and I believe most administrators choose not to remove it.
Microsoft needs to minimize the update frequency by making the product more secure. It can become very exhausting trying to keep updated if you don't have a dedicated support team. It can become challenging where the business is unable to allow downtime for reboots as part of the update process.
Prone to security and audit vulnerabilities.
The operating system needs more CPU and memory resources compared to other options such as Linux.
Understanding the licensing model can be abit confusing.
Comes with a standard firewall, but not the most secured one available. Would suggest using a more secured firewall as part of your antivirus software.
Due to the number of vulnerabilities and the operating system being a target for hackers, anti-virus software is a must.
I've carefully reviewed the servers and services currently running on Windows Server 2012, and given the opportunity would renew them as is going forward. There are two systems I currently have in place, one is a very large Linux implementation for a large ecommerce site, and one is a very large backup solution front ended by FTP servers running Linux. Neither are well suited for Windows, but the overall network infrastructure is and will be Windows Server for the foreseeable future.
For everyday surfing the web and checking emails, ChromeOS excels. You won't start seeing ChromeOS slowing down until you start using tools that require more GPU (coding, rendering videos, AI, etc.).
Anyone new to IT could easily use the familiar Desktop Experience (GUI) version because we all know how to use Windows, whether a client or server version. Once an IT user is more comfortable with the operating system, they can move on to the Core version, which is the way to go in almost all situations.
Microsoft's support is hugely wide-ranging from articles online to having to contact them directly for the more serious issues. In recent years when I have contacted them directly, I have found the support o be excellent as I have found myself connected to very knowledgeable people in the field in which I needed the support. The online support available is vast and I tend to find most of the time that there is always someone out there who has had the same issue as me in the past and knows something about how to resolve it! This is the advantage of using industry standard and long-established systems such as Windows Server.
Make sure that you have detailed processes in place for every server instance you plan to install/upgrade, if possible get the base OS loaded and Windows Updates applied ahead of time, and if using a VM take a snapshot prior to installing each role, as well as along the way.
ChromeOS is just as good as Windows. I feel it can be better sometimes because it starts up faster and more efficiently. I like how all the programs have similar interfaces and are easy to learn. There are less issues with ChromeOS than there are with Windows. And security is much tighter.
They are different experiences, and while the other solutions offer enterprise-grade stability and, in some cases, address Windows server shortcomings (such as patching), they all do the trick, but the other solutions require a deeper technical background/configuration of items at the command line, which some people are not fully comfortable with.
