As Windows XP dies, Google offers incentives to switch to Chromebooks

Today marks the day that Microsoft will officially end support for Windows XP and for Google that means stepping up deals on Chromebooks to encourage users to switch away form Windows completely. Microsoft is of course encouraging users to upgrade to Windows 8, but President of Google Enterprise Amit Singh published a blog post today suggesting business users would be better off upgrading to Chromebooks instead.

To make the decision even easier, Google is offering a number of deals on Chromebooks for Business. Two of the discounts listed below, which offer as much as $200 off Chromebooks, bundle in software and services from Citrix and VMware that make the transition from Windows XP to Chrome easier:

1. -Buy Chromebooks for Business and get $100 for each managed device you purchase for your company.
2. -If your employees need to access desktop apps, we’ve partnered with Citrix and VMware to bring two offers:
   1. -Get $200 off Chromebooks for Business with VMware Desktop as a Service (DaaS).
   2. -Get Chromebooks for Business and 25% off Citrix XenApp Platinum Edition, which includes AppDNA software for accelerating Windows XP migration.

You’ll notice a number of the deals listed above include software that makes it easy for business users to make the switch from Windows XP to Chromebooks. For example, Google and VMware recently announced a partnership related to the VMware Desktop as a Service software mentioned above. It allows users to access Windows desktops and apps that they might rely on through a virtualization solution.

All of the deals above will be available until June 30 and with them Google hopes it can pickup a few of the Windows XP users that are still unsure of what they’ll be upgrading to. After today, Microsoft will officially end support as well as security updates for Windows XP.