Setting up a GCP Storage for the ChromeOS Readiness Tool: A Step-by-Step Guide
June 16, 2025

Setting up a GCP Storage for the ChromeOS Readiness Tool:A Step by Step Guide

In today’s rapidly evolving digital environment, organizations are consistently looking for IT solutions that are not only efficient and secure but also cost effective. As more businesses explore the shift to cloud based operating systems such as ChromeOS, gaining a deep understanding of their current IT infrastructure is essential for a seamless migration.

The ChromeOS Readiness Tool is designed to provide a comprehensive compatibility assessment, helping organizations evaluate their preparedness for ChromeOS adoption. A key element of this process is ensuring that the collected data is securely stored and easily accessible.

By leveraging Google Cloud Platform (GCP) storage buckets, organizations benefit from a reliable, scalable, and secure solution to store assessment results. This storage mechanism is central to enabling advanced features like the Pro Dashboard and Partner Dashboard, regardless of whether the tool is deployed via the Enterprise Flow or the PowerShell Flow.

How to Set Up GCP Storage for the ChromeOS Readiness Tool

Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you create and configure your GCP storage bucket for storing ChromeOS Readiness Tool assessment data:

1. Log In and Select a Project

Begin by logging into your Google Cloud account. If you have an existing project, select it from the list that appears. Otherwise, create a new project by providing the project name, organization, and location, and then clicking “Create.”

2. Create the Storage Bucket

After selecting your project, click the “Create” button to start setting up your storage bucket. You will be guided through several configuration steps.

3. Name the Bucket

Provide a unique name for your storage bucket and proceed by clicking “Continue.”

4. Set Location Type

Choose the appropriate location type for your data (Regional, Dual Regional, or Multi-Regional). While Google provides default settings, you can adjust them based on your needs. Click “Continue” once configured.

5. Select the Storage Class

Pick the desired storage class, such as Standard or Nearline, and continue.

6. Configure Access Controls

Set up the access control preferences for the objects in the bucket and click “Continue.”

7. Define Data Protection Settings

Configure your data protection settings as needed and then click “Create.”

8. Confirm Public Access Restrictions

A modal window will appear to confirm restrictions on public access. Click “Confirm” to restrict access, following best security practices.

After completion, a confirmation screen will notify you that your bucket has been successfully created.

Assigning Permissions to the Service Account

To enable the ChromeOS Readiness Tool to securely upload data to the bucket, it's important to configure access for the service account.

  1. Open the “Permissions” tab from the bucket’s settings page.

  2. Click “Grant access.”

  3. In the “New principals” field, enter the service account email (this can be copied from the wizard modal in the tool).

  4. Click “Select a role,” navigate to “Cloud Storage,” and choose the “Storage Object Admin” role.

  5. Click “Save” to finalize the permission settings.

Connecting the Bucket via the ChromeOS Readiness Tool Wizard

Once the bucket and permissions are in place, follow these steps to connect it through the tool:

  1. Go to the “Objects” tab in your GCP bucket and copy the bucket name.

  2. In the ChromeOS Readiness Tool wizard, paste the copied name into the prompt where bucket information is requested.

  3. Click “Connect the storage bucket.” A green check mark will confirm a successful connection.

Understanding Storage Behavior Based on Deployment Method

The behavior of data storage depends on the method you choose for deploying the ChromeOS Readiness Tool:

If you're using the Enterprise Flow, you have the option either to store your assessment results in both the GCP storage bucket and a selected network shared folder or only in the network shared folder. This shared folder is only accessible to authorized personnel, ensuring restricted and controlled access for employees.

If you choose the PowerShell Flow, however, network shared folder storage is not applicable. In this case, GCP Cloud storage acts as the sole repository for your assessment results.

Conclusion

By following these steps, your organization can ensure that all ChromeOS Readiness Tool assessment data is stored securely and accessed efficiently. With GCP's reliable cloud infrastructure, your IT team is empowered with the visibility and control needed to drive a secure, informed, and confident migration to ChromeOS.

Blog Editors Team

ChromeOS Readiness Tool

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MFA Stops Login Abuse. It Does Not Always Stop Session Theft.

Multi-factor authentication has become one of the most important controls in enterprise security. It reduces the risk of password-based compromise and makes it much harder for attackers to access applications using stolen credentials alone.

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Session cookie attacks usually begin after authentication has already happened. The user signs in normally, completes MFA, and receives a valid browser session. From that point onward, attackers target the session itself.

Common attack paths include:

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  • Long-running authenticated sessions where users remain logged in without frequent re-verification.

The key problem is that many enterprise controls still focus heavily on login events. But session theft happens inside the browser after the login event is complete.

That makes the browser a critical security boundary.

Why Traditional MFA-Centric Security Falls Short

MFA is still essential. The problem is assuming that MFA alone is enough.

In a session theft scenario, the attacker does not need to defeat the MFA prompt directly. They only need to steal the post-authentication token that the browser uses to maintain access. Once that token is replayed, the application may treat the attacker as the already-authenticated user.

This creates a visibility and enforcement gap. Identity systems can confirm that MFA was completed, but they may not always know whether the session token is still being used by the legitimate browser, on the legitimate device, under the right conditions.

For enterprises, this means browser posture matters just as much as identity posture. A user may have strong authentication, but if their browser is outdated, exposed to risky extensions, or accessing unsafe domains, the session remains vulnerable.

Chrome Enterprise Premium: Protecting the Browser Session

Chrome Enterprise Premium helps address this gap by bringing security controls closer to where session activity actually happens: the browser.

Chrome Enterprise Premium is a secure enterprise browsing solution that provides advanced, integrated security directly within the browser, including centralized management, threat and data protection, and Zero Trust access controls for web applications.

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This is especially important when attackers use phishing, malicious domains, malware, or unsafe browser activity as the path to session theft. Chrome Enterprise Premium helps enforce protection at the point of browsing, instead of relying only on identity checks that already happened earlier in the session.

From Readiness Tool: Understanding Session Risk Across the Browser Fleet

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This makes the Chrome Readiness Tool valuable as a visibility layer. It helps security teams identify which devices, browsers, and extensions may increase the risk of session theft before attackers exploit that weakness.

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CEP Accelerator turns Browser Insights findings into a prioritized Chrome Enterprise Premium deployment plan.

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Closing the MFA Gap Starts in the Browser

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Session theft vulnerability assessment is based on browser version. Current browsers are confirmed as protected; outdated browsers are flagged as not protected, representing risk that automated session hijacking can exploit. Browser Insights also surfaces access to non-HTTPS and restricted domains that AI-driven workflows should not be reaching.

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Setting up a GCP Storage for the ChromeOS Readiness Tool: A Step-by-Step Guide