Google caught the world by surprise yesterday with the unveiling of Chromecast. The tiny media streaming dongle is aimed at consumers and presents a serious challenge for Apple TV, but it’s also a great tool for small and medium businesses.

By now, you’re probably aware of the basic details regarding the Chromecast. It’s a small device that plugs in to an HDMI port on a TV or monitor, and it’s able to stream content from services like Youtube and Netflix, as well as music and movies from Google Play, over a wireless network connection. The device can be controlled remotely from an Android or iOS mobile device, or through the Chrome browser on a Windows PC or Mac.

Mike Homnick

That’s all fine and dandy for consumers—although between Apple TV, Roku, game consoles like the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii U, or connected TVs and DVD/Blu-ray players, almost everyone can already stream Netflix and other content one way or another. But the Chromecast also has a secret weapon that makes it just as valuable for business use: it can stream any content that can be viewed in the Chrome browser.

Businesses that are more Google-centric will get more value from this feature than others because Gmail, Google Docs, and other Google services essentially run from within the Chrome browser. Businesses that don’t depend on Google can still use it, though. Microsoft files like Word documents and PowerPoint presentations can be saved in HTML format and viewed through Chrome.

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