Google has acquired Cameyo, a company that develops virtualization tools for running Windows apps on ChromeOS devices, for an undisclosed amount.
In a blog post, Cameyo CEO Andrew Miller and Google product lead Naveen Viswanatha said the purchase will benefit ChromeOS, Google's lightweight Linux-based operating system, by giving ChromeOS users “greater access to Windows apps without complex installations or updates.” “It is,” he wrote. ”
“By combining the powerful capabilities of ChromeOS with Cameyo’s innovative virtual application delivery technology, we are helping enterprises modernize their IT infrastructure while maintaining investments in existing software,” said Miller and Viswanatha.
Cameyo CTO Eyal Dotan founded the startup in 2018. It aims to create a platform that virtualizes Windows apps so that they can run on non-Windows computers and even within web browsers. Cameyo's approach works by packaging your app, including its dependencies, into a standalone, self-contained executable with a virtualization engine that runs on a variety of operating systems.
Last year, after announcing the acquisition, Google partnered with Cameyo to roll out features including Windows app local file system integration and the ability to deliver virtual Windows apps as progressive web apps or apps hosted in data centers that run in the browser.
As The Verge's Tom Warren noted in a piece about Cameyo today, Google has been on a mission to push ChromeOS into business and education after a somewhat lukewarm response from consumers. With Cameyo's technology, organizations looking to move away from Windows or use both Windows and ChromeOS have a potentially more attractive path forward, especially as more and more apps move to cloud and web-based technologies.
In fact, Cameyo claims on its website that hundreds of organizations, including school districts and financial institutions, are already using its software.
