Is Google Chrome A Corporate Option?

The news has been good lately for Google and its Chrome browser. The most important sign is that Chrome's market share has reached 5.2 percent according to NetApps. Despite that growth, I wonder if Chrome will ever be a viable option for corporate businesses.Consider that just today, Microsoft's Brandon LeBlanc took those same NetApps statistics and trumpeted that Internet Explorer 8 has now become the biggest browser in terms of market share -- nearly 28 percent of Windows users run it. Consider that IE8 got this market share in less than a year, and Chrome has been around a few months more than that, then you'll see that Chrome still has a tough uphill struggle.

So let's cut Google some slack. I have no trouble imagining that Chrome will gain overall Internet market share by way of the Nexus One and other Android phones, or by soon-to-arrive Chrome OS netbooks and tablets. It is tougher to see how Chrome will take a significantly larger share of desktop OS browser usage. That's especially true for businesses that need to see some significant benefit for switching off the "safe" choice of Internet Explorer.

A year ago, it was tough for anyone to use Chrome for day-to-day use because it lacked a lot of the features and extensions everyone has come to expect with their current desktop browser. The new extensions gallery has put an end to that excuse. Features like AdBlock make it easier for Firefox users to consider a switch.

Back to corporate reality, though. How many of you are considering Google Chrome as a serious alternative for a corporate browser standard? Is Firefox in play, or is your company set on staying with Internet Explorer? Although IE has gotten better over the years, it's still one of the least standards-compliant browsers. Does that matter to your application plans, or do you figure that if Microsoft makes it, your developers and suppliers will deal with it?