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The TechCrunch article does a nice summary of where Google is trying to compete or start a market.  The author mentions that Google is aiming its efforts at the bare bones customer, who uses their PCs for a few applications.  While this is true, I think a residual of this type of thinking should  surround how this case is more suited for businesses.  There's a few good reasons why businesses ought to take a serious look at Google Chrome OS.

First, with the exception of power users, most business users only use a few applications.  Powerpoint, Word, Excel, email and the browser on average.  Google Chrome OS and Google provides these applications on the net.  Add chat and some in-house applications and you pretty much defined most business users.  Since the popularity of the web has increased, many companies tend to even create their in-house applications on the web, so there's even less incentive to maintain a standard desktop PC.

The second point for me is where I think CIOs may either really like it or absolutely hate it.  The point is that Windows PCs carry a lot of extra baggage that add cost in terms of anti-virus software (including spyware protection), monitoring software, administrators, help desk and the general need to maintain something like an Active Directory to centralize user management.  I look at the Net PC as something that companies can use to cut these cost down drastically by removing some of the wholes that Windows bears.

Obviously, for power users, Google Chrome OS really isn't a choice.  I was reading how the people at Microsoft laughed at what Google has done.  But I think this is a critical mistake because they're looking at Google Chrome OS from the viewpoint of the traditional desktop application, which really is where power users come in.  However, the focus on minimalism, security, speed, the Google brand name and making the barebones work demonstrate a significant potential threat to Windows for business users.

On the side, the concept of the Netbook is nothing new.  Larry Ellison had been proposing the idea for users, touting it at conventions.  However, Ellison's primary problem had been that the market wasn't ready at the time to adopt the Netbook; meaning, the browser wasn't the OS.  However, with significant advances in heavy client side scripting and more dynamic pages, the web definitely is ready for the Netbook.  The other major issue with Ellison's philosophy was that he seemed to be entirely focused on poor people.  I recall him aiming his Netbook towards people like inner city school children.  I'm sorry, but inner city school children want to play games on their XBox.

But I think businesses looking to cut cost in terms of IT maintenance should seriously examine Google Chrome OS.  And I think Google needs to focus on this area in terms of pimping their OS.