With Chromebooks and Chrome Enterprise, Jumbo takes IT communications to the next level
Jumbo headquarters took IT communication with the Jumbo supermarkets to the next level. At the same time, manageability was significantly improved. The key: Chromebooks equipped with optimally applied Chrome Enterprise software licenses. Jeffrey Benning, managing partner of Google specialist Localyse, explains.
Localyse is a specialist in Google platform and GEO-IT since 2013
Localyse, as part of Geosquare.nl is a system integrator. The company started in 2013, now has three hundred employees and specializes in the Google platform & GEO-IT. As a Google Cloud Premium Partner for the Benelux, Localyse has considerable expertise in Chrome Enterprise, Workspace and Google Cloud workplace management in addition to Maps.
‘All a store employee has to do is flip open his Chromebook and he can get right to work’
Location
Business according to Jeffrey Benning of Localyse is always set up from location issues, or location intelligence. Google Maps, in other words. Benning: “How can location make your business more efficient and faster?” That’s also how we started at Jumbo a few years ago. In the meantime, we discovered that the combination of Chromebooks with Chrome Enterprise is particularly powerful. We applied this perfectly at Jumbo. Jumbo wanted, in the middle of corona time, to improve the communication between the (mobile) employees in the supermarkets and headquarters. Especially coordinating the stock position in the 450 own stores and 300 franchisees’ supermarkets was a major issue. Until then, that was carried out, among other things, with simple, fixed computers, without a camera and microphone. “That’s rather cumbersome and labor-intensive, so it could be improved,” he said.
Not on the radar
Jumbo did an extensive Proof of Concept. The supermarket chain had branch managers test with an iPad, PDA/handheld terminal and – under the guidance of Localyse – also with a Chromebook. The Chromebook won overwhelmingly in ease of use, particularly because the screen is foldable and the device has a fixed keyboard. The Jumbo headquarters did not expect that outcome; the Chromebook was not really on their radar. Ease of use and functionality is one thing, but security and management are equally important. At Jumbo, they were under the impression that the laptops therefore had to be equipped with Workspace, the Google counterpart to MS Office 365. Localyse, however, suggested a more intelligent solution, which opened the Jumbo gates wide for the company.
Treading with joy
Benning explains that with the Chrome Enterprise, all requirements could be covered. “In this, in fact, the underlying license for the Chrome OS operating system includes Cloud Identity functionality as standard. This allows you to easily manage users remotely via a central console. Creating new users is a piece of cake; it only takes a minute. Setting up the device takes two minutes. That’s a fraction of the time and cost it takes in a Windows environment. All functionalities, permissions, logins and (Wi-Fi) communications are automatically set up for the user and are immediately available. All a store employee has to do is flip open his Chromebook and he can get started right away. Also very interesting is that via Cloud Identity a Chromebook can be turned off remotely and its location can be tracked. “In addition, our solution connects seamlessly with the secure OKTA environment that Jumbo uses for communication.”
Windfall
Jumbo has placed IT management in a separate cluster. Initially, the IT department was not overjoyed about yet another addition to the management tree. It has since turned out that managing the Google environment with the Google Admin console is peanuts, which was quite a relief for Jumbo’s IT department. Another windfall came from Google’s licensing policy. In fact, ten users can operate under one Chrome Enterprise license. So that means that the 450 Enterprise licenses are good for 4,500 users. That was reason for Jumbo to soon increase the number of Chromebooks by a factor of three or four. With that, the store inventory of the Jumbo supermarkets will obviously be mapped much faster. Moreover, many other administrative tasks can then also be performed in parallel (and mobile) by colleagues off the store floor.
Quick acting
Jumbo headquarters initially had its eye on another hardware supplier of Chromebooks. However, the devices were not available in the desired quantities at a reasonable time. A fast-acting Benning then directed the Jumbo IT specialists involved to Acer’s headquarters in Brabant. There they were able to test and compare the Acer Chromebook. The Acer proved to be more solid, more powerful, more beautiful and more functional than the devices from the other supplier, at almost the same price. Furthermore, Acer’s service and support were rated higher.
‘The Acer proved to be sturdier, more powerful and more functional than the devices from the other supplier’
Decisive, however, was that the devices were readily available and that Jumbo franchisees could enter the deal at a soft price. Jumbo saw that Acer is not only a brand for consumers, but also for enterprises, and embraced. In a one-stop shopping maneuver, Localyse was invited to supply the hardware in addition to the licenses. Benning: “And it got even better: we completely unburden the customer.” We provide licenses, devices and support and know everything about Maps, Cloud, Workspace and Chrome Enterprise. We want to and can offer the entire Google software suite. Localyse has once again been able to provide Jumbo with the right service. “And that’s why, as far as the complete Google world is concerned, we are now the first choice for Jumbo!”
Intergamma and Picnic follow Jumbo's lead in digitalization
A little later, Intergamma followed up the use case of Jumbo. They too recently fully rolled out Chromebooks in Karwei and Gamma stores, both in the Netherlands and Belgium. They also decided to include screens for all service counters. Finally, Online supermarket PICNIC was our early adopter, they have been working with Google Workspace and Chrome Enterprise for years with our help. Let us know if we can take you to the new way of working in 2025!
Reasons to switch
- Increased control and security in a growing business
- TCO – (lower licensing costs, hardware and time savings)
- Chrome browser management
- Easy to manage
- The new high-end Chromebook is made from 60% recycled materials
- High uptime
- No update downtime
- Fast startup
- Never affected by Ransomware
- Flexible
Let's discuss your project
Looking for a way to make better decisions about your business’s location-based strategies? Look no further than Localyse!
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