Google acquires Cameyo to bring Windows apps to Chrome

Last year, Google partnered with Cameyo to launch 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 centres that run in browsers

Google has acquired Cameyo, a firm developing virtualization tools to run Windows apps on ChromeOS devices, for an undisclosed amount.

In a blog post, Cameyo Chief Executive Officer Andrew Miller and Google product lead Naveen Viswanatha wrote that the buy will benefit ChromeOS, Google’s lightweight Linux-based operating system, by giving ChromeOS users greater access to Windows apps “without the hassle of complex installations or updates.”

By combining the power of ChromeOS with Cameyo’s innovative virtual application delivery technology, we are empowering businesses to modernize their information technology infrastructure while preserving their investments in existing software, Miller and Viswanatha added.

Cameyo Chief Technology Officer Eyal Dotan co-founded the startup with Miller in January 2018, aiming to create a platform to virtualize Windows apps so that they could run on non-Windows machines and even within web browsers. Cameyo’s approach works by “virtualizing” an app, then serving that app from either a public cloud, such as AWS, or from a private cloud, on-premesis data centre or hybrid cloud environment.

Last year, Google partnered with Cameyo to launch 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 centres that run in browsers.

As The Verge’s Tom Warren notes in his piece on Cameyo on Wednesday, Google’s been on a mission to push ChromeOS in business and education after a rather tepid response from consumers. With Cameyo’s tech, organisations looking to move away from Windows — or work with both Windows and ChromeOS — have a potentially more appealing avenue, especially as more and more apps move to the cloud and web-based technologies.

In fact, Cameyo claims on its website that hundreds of organizations, including school districts and financial institutions, already rely on its software.