Google could match Amazon and Microsoft with virtual desktop tool but keeps it for employees only - CNBC

Google maintains a piece of software, Cloudtop, that employees use to access internal programs.

However, when Google's cloud customers ask for a virtual desktop solution, Google refers them to third-party solutions instead, according to two people familiar with the company's cloud business, who asked for anonymity as they were discussing internal business matters.

For instance, after Zoom saw a surge in new customers during the pandemic, the video-calling software company signed up for more than 1,000 Amazon WorkSpaces virtual desktops for its help desk employees, Amazon said in November.

Over 25% of Google employees use virtual desktops, and Google migrated the software to its public cloud from its corporate infrastructure to improve the user experience and decrease the total cost of ownership, according to the paper.

A Google spokesperson said the company recognizes the increased demand for virtual desktops as people work remotely, but it does not currently plan to offer Cloudtop as a cloud service.

Instead, the company prioritizes its offerings from third parties in the virtual desktop market — Telus uses a product from privately held Itopia on Google's cloud, while Equifax relies on Citrix software on the Google cloud, for instance.