New Intel vPro Technology Offers Security Enhancements

Intel announced today the introduction of the third-generation of its vPro suite of technologies designed for business desktop PCs. The new suite includes, among other features, enhanced security as well as the reduction of maintenance duration and costs by making PCs actually think and act on their own. Intel vPro Technology makes use of the performance offered by the company's Core 2 quad-core or dual-core processors and combines it with the new Q45 Express Chipset and Intel 82567LM Gigabit Network Connection as well as with Intel Active Management Technology 5.0.

The new vPro suite is the first version to extend the company's reach for protecting and management of PCs beyond the corporate firewall. It includes a new Remote Alert feature, which enables infected PCs that experience symptoms over preset parameters to ask for IT assistance on their own, even if turned off.

A Remote Scheduled Maintenance feature allows IT administrators to set PCs to regularly tune-up by connecting to an IT management program that ensures maintenance. The new added Fast Call for Help feature enables users to immediately get assistance over an out-of-band link by entering a key sequence. This works even in cases when the computer is almost unusable due to a failed operating system or hard drive.

Intel also added two features for access security. The Access Monitor is able to securely log the activity of the system and can close gates to possible internal security breaches. The new vPro platform also comes with the first embedded technology for authentication through Microsoft Network Access Protection, which provides protection for the out-of-band remote maintenance on systems using the platform.

The new Intel vPro Technology has been designed as to fit the needs of small businesses, considering that the administrators of such systems may have no computer background at all. The Intel IT Director has been created for businesses featuring less than 25 PCs, either mobile or desktops, and comes with a user-friendly “dashboard” which shows the status of key system settings along with health parameters, allows the blocking of connection to risky USB devices and offers a data back-up feature which enables a seamless work even in case of hard-drive failures.

The Intel Remote PC Assist Technology has been designed for businesses in a periodical need of immediate help with PC problems. It connects the businesses with service providers for assistance when a key sequence is entered. The service providers will benefit from the out-of-band capabilities along with the security and management features of vPro Technology to remotely solve the problems. The Remote PC Assist Technology enhances service deliveries for the service provider, reduces costs and also widens the access to customers. The technology will initially be available for North America.

Along with the new vPro features, Intel also introduced two motherboards with full support for the technology. The Desktop Board DQ45CB is available for standard-sized PCs, while the Desktop Board DQ45EK has been designed for small form-factor systems. Both motherboards are offered for channel customers.

The Intel vPro Technology works hand in hand with Dynamic Virtual Client technologies (DVC), designated for a new segment of computing models, to centralize application management and data security on a server, but also stream applications to PCs, where they will run under the machines processing power. Users' mobility and performance are preserved this way and IT management and security are simplified, while not requiring a large-scale burden on the data-center, as other thin clients do. DVC products or programs based on Intel's vPro technology have been recently announced by Citrix, Lenovo, and Microsoft.