Intel is bringing its vPro platform to its new Core processors, a move aimed
at making it easier for businesses to secure and manage the systems.
Intel announced Feb. 4 that it will put the vPro technology in
its 32-nanometer dual-core Core
i5 and i7 chips, which the company officially rolled out at the CES show in
January.
The technology gives IT administrators a hardware-based way to
remotely manage and secure corporate desktops and laptops, using both wired and
wireless methods.
vPro also enhances the flexibility of these systems and drives
down overall costs, according to Intel officials.
The new vPro-enabled chips come at a time when such
applications as video, social networking and IP telephony are putting greater
demand on PC performance, according to Rick Echevarria, vice president of
Intel's Architecture Group and general manager of its Business Client Platform
Division.
"Businesses, particularly those that haven't purchased PCs
for several years, face a computing environment that no longer handles the
applications many workers and IT are adopting," Echevarria said in a
statement.
A host of OEMs, including Acer, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Lenovo
and Toshiba, are readying corporate PCs based on the vPro Core processors. In
addition, solution providers for both enterprises and small and midsize
businesses, including Microsoft, Symantec, LANDesk and LogMeIn, are adding
support for the technology to their products.
A number of new hardware features come with this vPro platform,
including Intel's Anti-Theft Technology Version 2.0. Intel AT is designed to
deny access to a PC if it's stolen, a key consideration for laptop users. With
Version 2.0, IT administrators can disable access to cryptographic keys to make
it even more difficult for thieves to get the data on the systems. In addition,
a custom message can be displayed on the screen before the operating system
kicks in that can be read by someone trying to access the PC.
Another new feature, KVM Remote Control, gives IT
administrators full control of a user's PC—even if the operating system isn't
working—and shows the technician exactly what the user sees on the screen.
Intel also added AES (Advanced
Encryption Standard) to the vPro hardware, which enables faster encryption and
decryption of data. Another security feature, Remote Encryption Management,
lets systems administrators more easily remotely manage PCs with encrypted hard
drives by enabling them to more securely unlock the drives.
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