Alternative Cloud Syncing of Google Chrome Bookmarks

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YodaNT

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  • #1
    I currently work in an environment that uses corporate Google Workspace and managed Google Chrome browsers for end user bookmark syncing. We are potentially looking at leaving the Google Workspace world for Office 365.

    I was wondering if anyone has a recommendation for how to retain the Google Chrome bookmark syncing without having the Google Workspace backend.

    Is there a third party app that might do this? I think we can live without some of the other benefits of managed browsers such as blocking extensions since endpoint security apps can handle some of that.

    I wouldn't want to move everyone to Microsoft Edge instead of Google Chrome.
     
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    sryan2k1

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  • #2
    Move everyone to Edge.


    It's a better browser, it has all the benefits of Chrome with less RAM usage.

    It integrates with M365 as well as Chrome does with GApps, it runs all the same extensions and has nearly identical GPO controls, and it will import everything from Chrome on first run.


    There is no reason to use Chrome if you're M365 customers.
     
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    YodaNT

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  • #3
    sryan2k1 said:
    Move everyone to Edge.


    It's a better browser, it has all the benefits of chromium with less RAM usage.

    It integrates with M365 as well as Chrome does with GApps, it runs all the same extensions and has nearly identical GPO controls, and it will import everything from Chrome on first run.


    There is no reason to use Chrome if you're M365 customers.
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    Thanks. It's a mixed environment of Windows and Apple users and most end users are already more familiar with Google Chrome so it might take some getting used to. Trying to avoid the bumps in the road. :)
     
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    YodaNT

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  • #6
    Entegy said:
    We use Google Cloud Identity with SSO to our Entra ID accounts on Chrome. So it's still a Google account, but you sign in with your Microsoft credentials.

    You need intense buy in from management to break the Chrome addiction and it was a fight I lost. So this was my alternative.
    Click to expand...
    Thanks. So you just kept your Google Workspace Enterprise setup but switched all licenses to the free one and then were able to maintain the managed Google Chrome browser features? And then moved everything else over to Office 365?
     
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    chalex

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  • #8
    YodaNT said:
    I currently work in an environment that uses corporate Google Workspace and managed Google Chrome browsers for end user bookmark syncing. We are potentially looking at leaving the Google Workspace world for Office 365.
    Click to expand...
    It seems to me that keeping the Chrome bookmarks is the least of your worries, what about all the other things like docs and Drive, etc.
    Whatever migration plan you come up with will either keep the Google Accounts active and all the stuff will keep working or else you'd have to do some kind of full export of everything.

    I agree with sryan2k1, if you go O365, go whole hog. MS Edge runs fine on Mac and it's Chromium-based anyway. Users may also find it more convenient to separate their personal browsing to Chrome vs work browsing to Edge instead of just different profiles in one browser.

    For us, the real problem users are the ones who insist on using Safari :)
     
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    YodaNT

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  • #9
    chalex said:
    It seems to me that keeping the Chrome bookmarks is the least of your worries, what about all the other things like docs and Drive, etc.
    Whatever migration plan you come up with will either keep the Google Accounts active and all the stuff will keep working or else you'd have to do some kind of full export of everything.

    I agree with sryan2k1, if you go O365, go whole hog. MS Edge runs fine on Mac and it's Chromium-based anyway. Users may also find it more convenient to separate their personal browsing to Chrome vs work browsing to Edge instead of just different profiles in one browser.

    For us, the real problem users are the ones who insist on using Safari :)
    Click to expand...
    If we make the change everything is going over to Microsoft with the possible exception of Google Chrome managed browsers.
     
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    YodaNT

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  • #10
    Entegy said:
    We were always Office 365, I just lost the fight to not use Chrome.

    So my suggestion is to at least keep Cloud Identity around just to maintain central control of the Google accounts that will be created, even if they end up being new accounts separate from the old Workspace accounts.
    Click to expand...
    @Entegy Were you able to continue to let users sync individual Google Chrome bookmarks with just the Cloud Identity license? Or just continue to push a set of defined company bookmarks?
     
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    Entegy

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  • #11
    With the free Cloud Identity account, it our users can sync their profile just like any other kind of Google account.

    As for Managed Bookmarks, we always had another tool to manage those. So for example, if you leverage Intune when you move to Office 365, you can use Chrome settings from Intune's Settings Catalog to push your mandatory set of bookmarks.
     
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