What control should a customer with over 25,000 Windows machines implement for Chrome extensions?

Implementing strict controls using group policies is paramount for managing Chrome extensions effectively in an organization with a substantial number of Windows machines. Group policies allow administrators to establish and enforce standardized settings across all machines in the network, ensuring a consistent user experience while also enhancing security.

By using group policies, an organization can manage the installation of extensions, limit access to only those that are necessary for work, and prevent users from adding unauthorized extensions that could compromise security or lead to data breaches. This level of control is particularly important in larger organizations, where the risk associated with unmonitored installation of extensions could multiply significantly across thousands of devices.

The other choices, while they might contribute to a broader approach to security and user management, do not provide the same level of control and enforcement as group policies do. User training can help raise awareness about the importance of secure extension use but does not prevent the installation of harmful extensions. Limiting Chrome availability on specific machines could be impractical and restrictive, potentially affecting productivity. Additionally, blocking all external websites from network access is overly aggressive and would significantly hinder the user experience, making it infeasible for regular work activities. Thus, group policies represent the most effective and strategic method to manage Chrome extensions in a large organization.