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What to Expect After Installing the ChromeOS Readiness Tool
June 26, 2025

What to Expect After Installing the ChromeOS Readiness Tool

After installing the ChromeOS Readiness Tool, understanding what comes next is essential to maximize its benefits and ensure a smooth transition to ChromeOS. The tool delivers precise insights into your IT environment and simplifies migration by automating data collection and offering intuitive dashboards for analysis.

1. The Data Collection Process Begins

Once installed, the ChromeOS Readiness Tool is deployed across client devices, and the tool begins collecting data either automatically or with minimal manual setup, depending on your installation method.

Behind the Scenes: The tool appears as a tray icon on client devices. A status monitor checks whether the data collector and data service are running and restarts them if stopped. The data collector tracks all processes, logging open window applications and predefined background apps. Simultaneously, the data service reads, encrypts, and uploads this information.

Temporary Storage and Upload: Initially, collected data is temporarily stored on employee devices. It is later uploaded to your designated network storage or cloud storage. If a PC is powered off, data upload is paused and resumes once the device is back on. This data collection continues for a pre-selected duration, ending with the generation of a final report.

2. Employee and Device Actions Post-Deployment

The actions required from employees vary slightly based on the installation flow:

  • Enterprise Flow: For deployments via Active Directory and Group Policy Objects (GPOs), a restart is required approximately 90 minutes after the administrator installs the tool. This restart ensures Group Policy activation and proper data collection.

  • PowerShell Flow: For deployments in Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) environments, no specific user action is required. Employees can continue working without interruption. However, this flow typically involves manual setup of the data collection agent by an administrator or using a UEM software.

3. Accessing and Interpreting Assessment Results

After data collection concludes, assessment results are accessible via the Report Generator application and the web dashboard. Based on the selected deployment method, the availability of the web dashboard can be different.

Private Key Requirement: To maintain data security, accessing readiness details on the web dashboard requires uploading the private key generated during deployment. This ensures that only the authorized user who deployed the tool can view the collected data on the web dashboard.

The Web Dashboard: The dashboard offers a user-friendly interface for viewing readiness status across your organization, including:

  • High-level readiness score

  • Application compatibility breakdowns

  • Real-time device assessments

  • Peripheral compatibility insights

Key Dashboards Overview

  • Pro Dashboard: Available by default with the PowerShell flow and for the Enterprise flow only if the  GCP storage is selected. It displays:

    • Readiness status by domain

    • Foreground and background application usage

    • ChromeOS readiness insights

    • Filtering by device status and domain

    • Device and peripheral compatibility

  • Partner Dashboard: Designed for Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) and available with GCP storage. By entering a customer’s encryption key, partners can:

    • View multi-client readiness overviews

    • Monitor data collection progress

    • Access Chrome-ready application and peripheral insights

    • Drill down into devices, apps, and filter data

  • Report Generator (on Admin Machine): Offers full visibility into:

    • Total application counts by status (Chrome Ready, Possibly Ready, Blocker, Unknown)

    • Pie charts showing device readiness distribution

    • Detailed per-device application readiness

    • Executive reports and raw data can be downloaded as Excel or Pdf format for further analysis

Virtualization Section in the Web Dashboard

The dashboards feature a dedicated virtualization section with Cameyo recommendations, suggesting applications that can be virtualized, particularly those marked as Possibly Ready or Blocker.

Browser Insights Section  in the Web Dashboard

A built-in feature that provides a centralized view of browser and extension usage, including:

  • Popular browsers used (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Vivaldi etc.)

  • Browser version distribution

  • Extensions installed per device

This supports IT in understanding the browser and extension usage of the organization and preparing for Chrome Enterprise Browser deployment. Note: This feature is transparent and requires admin approval.

4. Ensuring Data Security and Compliance

Security and data integrity are foundational to the ChromeOS Readiness Tool.

Restricted Access: Only authorized personnel can access the data. Employee access to network shared folders is restricted, and encryption key protection is enforced through strict access controls.

5. Staying Updated for Continuous Improvement

The ChromeOS Readiness Tool is actively maintained and enhanced by its development team.

Latest Versions and Notifications: Users are encouraged to enable notifications to stay informed of new features, compatibility updates, and expert tips. The current latest version is 1.10.3. Additionally, the “What’s New” section on the product page highlights recent updates and enhancements.

Final Thoughts

By understanding what happens after installation, your organization can fully leverage the ChromeOS Readiness Tool to:

  • Analyze its IT environment

  • Identify application and device readiness

  • Ensure secure data collection

  • Gain actionable insights for a strategic migration

This structured process reduces guesswork, enhances security, and enables confident, future-proof transitions to ChromeOS.

Blog Editors Team

ChromeOS Readiness Tool

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June 25, 2025

Drilling Down on Browser Data: Analyzing Browser Versions and Extensions with Browser Insights

As organizations explore the shift to cloud-based operating systems, such as ChromeOS, gaining visibility into existing browser and extension usage is a critical first step. Understanding how employees interact with web environments helps IT teams and organizations make informed decisions and ensures a seamless and secure transition.

The ChromeOS Readiness Tool is a comprehensive compatibility assessment solution that evaluates application usage, device compatibility, and peripheral integration. One of its key features, Browser Insights, provides in-depth visibility into your organization’s web environment.

What is Browser Insights?

Browser Insights offers a centralized view of browser and extension usage across all managed devices. This feature equips IT teams with the insights needed to evaluate current browser setups and assess compatibility with ChromeOS and the Chrome Enterprise Browser.

Unpacking the Data: Browser Versions and Extension Details

Browser Insights captures detailed information about:

  • Browser Usage Statistics View usage trends for popular browsers such as Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Opera, Vivaldi, and Brave.

  • Browser Version Data Understand which browser versions are deployed across devices, helping identify outdated browsers that may pose security or compatibility risks.

  • Extension Details Obtain a comprehensive list of extensions used across your organization, including details about each extension and the devices on which they are installed.

Key Benefits for Your Organization

  • Centralized Visibility All browser and extension data is aggregated in one place, simplifying web environment monitoring.

  • Improved Security Posture Retrieve extension details to identify unauthorized, unsecured, or outdated browser extensions, enabling proactive threat management and enforcement of safer browsing practices. 

  • Operational Efficiency Streamline browser management and policy enforcement, making IT decision-making more effective.

  • Enhanced Transition Readiness Evaluate web compatibility, identify browser risks, and enable a secure, seamless transition to ChromeOS with Chrome Enterprise.

Secure and Accessible Insights

Browser data collection is disabled by default and can only be enabled with explicit admin approval during installation, ensuring a compliant and controlled deployment process. Browser Insights are accessible only via the ChromeOS Readiness Tool’s web dashboard. Pro users can view this data directly, while Partner users may access it through their partner dashboards upon entering the specific private key. These insights appear alongside device and application readiness data, giving a complete picture of organizational compatibility.

By leveraging Browser Insights, organizations gain visibility into browser usage patterns, extension details, and identify potential security risks. This empowers IT teams to make informed, data-driven decisions and a clearer path towards a secure, optimized transition to ChromeOS.

From Blocked and Possibly Ready to Ready: Utilizing Virtualization Insights from the ChromeOS Readiness Tool
June 24, 2025

From Blocked and Possibly Ready to Ready: Utilizing Virtualization Insights from the ChromeOS Readiness Tool

Businesses can achieve enhanced security, streamlined management, and increased productivity by moving to a cloud-first platform like ChromeOS. But a successful migration requires full awareness of your existing IT landscape, especially how critical applications will function on a new platform. This is where the ChromeOS Readiness Tool becomes an essential asset, going beyond compatibility checks to offer clear, actionable paths for even the most complex applications.

The ChromeOS Readiness Tool is a comprehensive compatibility assessment solution built to evaluate your organization's current IT environment for ChromeOS adoption. It analyzes application usage, device readiness, and peripheral integration, delivering data-driven insights to support a smooth and confident migration.

Understanding Application Readiness: Addressing Blockers and Possibly Ready Compatibility

The tool evaluates Windows applications across three readiness levels.

  • ChromeOS ready – Fully compatible and ready to migrate  

  • Possibly ready – Applications may run on ChromeOS but could have limited or inconsistent functionality. 

  • Blocker – Applications are currently incompatible with ChromeOS and require alternative approaches.

Possibly Ready and Blocker applications often can include mission-critical tools with dependencies that prevent direct operation on ChromeOS. These applications could require solutions like virtualization to ensure a smooth migration.

Leveraging Virtualization Insights for a Smooth Transition

With the ChromeOS Readiness Tool’s web dashboard, a dedicated Virtualization section provides a focused view of applications that may require virtualization support.

  • View all Blocker and Possibly Ready applications with real-time usage metrics.

  • Analyze device-level usage percentages to prioritize which apps need immediate attention.

  • Assess Cameyo compatibility directly, identifying which applications can be virtualized smoothly.

  • Sort and filter apps by usage or compatibility status.

The dashboard clearly highlights Blocker and Possibly Ready apps from the Overview section, giving teams the ability to evaluate each application’s virtualization path.

Benefits of a Proactive Virtualization Strategy

Utilizing the tool’s virtualization insights provides key advantages:

  • Overcome Application Barriers Virtualize legacy or critical applications instead of replacing them, minimizing disruption.

  • Streamlined ChromeOS Migration Resolve compatibility issues early and reduce uncertainty during planning. 

  • Optimize cost and Efficiency Save time and reduce downtime by targeting only the applications that need virtualization.

  • Comprehensive Planning Combine virtualization data with device and browser insights for a holistic view of readiness.

By leveraging the ChromeOS Readiness Tool’s virtualization feature, organizations can confidently overcome migration challenges. Ensuring that essential applications remain accessible allows businesses to fully realize the agility, security, and simplicity of ChromeOS, effectively moving from Blocked and Possibly Ready to Ready.

Defining Your Assessment Period: Setting the Right Data Collection Duration in the ChromeOS Readiness Tool
June 23, 2025

Defining Your Assessment Period: Setting the Right Data Collection Duration in the ChromeOS Readiness Tool

Organizations looking to transition to ChromeOS need a clear understanding of their current IT environment. The ChromeOS Readiness Tool provides a comprehensive assessment, and a crucial step in this process is defining the assessment period, the duration for which the tool collects data. This period directly impacts the depth and accuracy of the insights you receive, guiding a smoother migration.

What is the Assessment Period?

The assessment period, also known as the data collection duration, is a specified number of days during which the ChromeOS Readiness Tool actively monitors and gathers information about your organization's device application usage. This comprehensive data collection is essential for generating an accurate compatibility report for a successful ChromeOS transition.

How to Define Your Assessment Period

During the deployment configurations of the ChromeOS Readiness Tool, administrators will be prompted to select the number of days for the data collection period. This step is part of the initial setup, allowing you to tailor the assessment to your organization's specific needs and timeline.

What Happens During Data Collection?

Once the tool is deployed and the data collection period begins, the ChromeOS Readiness Tool operates efficiently in the background:

  • Active Monitoring: An administrator can access a report generator app on their desktop to view how much time remains for data collection. The tool also appears as a tray icon on employee devices, which can be hidden by the admin if necessary.

  • Continuous Operation: A built-in status monitor checks if the data collector and data service components are running, and automatically restarts them if they stop.

  • Selective Data Logging: The data collector tracks all processes, monitoring their start and stop times. It specifically logs open window applications and predefined background applications, ensuring relevant usage data is captured.

  • Secure Data Handling: The data service reads these logs, encrypts the collected information, and uploads it to either network storage or cloud storage based on the chosen storage location. Data is temporarily stored on employee devices and then pushed to the designated network storage location. If a PC is powered off, data will not upload until the device is turned back on.

This continuous process ensures that comprehensive and accurate data is gathered throughout the chosen assessment duration.

What Happens After the Assessment Period?

Upon the completion of the selected data collection period, the ChromeOS Readiness Tool compiles all the gathered information to generate a final, comprehensive report.

Administrators can then access an organizational readiness report and a summary of device readiness on the intuitive web-based dashboard. This dashboard displays key information such as the total application count for each readiness status, a pie chart showing the percentage of devices in each readiness category, and a table listing all devices with their readiness status. You can also view an application summary for each device, categorized into Ready, Possibly Ready, Blocker, or Unknown. Additional reports, like a summary of devices in each readiness category and a list of most used applications, are available in the data insight section. Previous reports can be found in the history reports section.Raw data and executive summary report can be downloaded in Excel format or Pdf.

For partners, the dashboard allows viewing the progress of data collection for their customer companies, including the selected assessment duration, time to completion, and the completed percentage. Once data collection is finished, partners can enter their customers' encryption files to unlock and view detailed readiness data.

Hence, setting the data collection duration is a foundational step in utilizing the ChromeOS Readiness Tool effectively. By carefully defining this assessment period, organizations ensure that the tool gathers all necessary data, enabling the generation of precise reports and actionable recommendations. This clarity is invaluable for strategic planning and achieving a seamless, efficient transition to ChromeOS.