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Intel vPro: What is New for IT

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Intel vPro: What is New for IT

By Scott Ferguson
2008-07-17

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Intel Centrino 2 mobile = platform=20 for notebooks, released earlier this week, includes = several=20 updates to its vPro technology that should improve the = way IT=20 departments manage and secure business=20 laptops.

Intel is looking to offer IT a better way to manage = and=20 secure corporate laptops.

While much of the talk this week focused on the = release of=20 the Intel Centrino 2 platform and its use of = new Intel=20 Core 2 Duo processors, the inclusion of WiMax and Wi-Fi = technologies=20 and the bevy of new laptops that PC vendors plan to bring to the = market in the=20 next month, there was little discussion about the = updates=20 Intel made to its vPro technology to better secure and = manage=20 a fleet of enterprise laptops.

One reason the discussions steered away from Intel = vPro=20 this week is that most corporate laptops that use the=20 technology will not ship until later this year. When Intel first announced that = Centrino 2 would=20 be delayed, it pushed the shipments of chip sets = that=20 included vPro although the company said all parts are = now=20 shipping.

Still, there are several improvements worth noting, = including the ability to wirelessly turn on and patch = a=20 laptop.

The Intel vPro technology, which the = company=20 first included in desktops in 2006 and in laptops in = 2007,=20 is essentially a chip bundle that is designed to make = managing=20 and securing a fleet of PCs easier for an enterprise's = IT=20 department. Intel even renamed its business mobile=20 platform=97Centrino 2 with vPro to show that = it is=20 infusing notebooks with the same management and = security=20 capabilities it first offered with desktops.

As more and more employees use notebooks as their = primary=20 PC, managing and securing a whole fleet of laptops has = become=20 essential. While Intel is promoting vPro as a = proprietary=20 technology to help secure laptops with third-party = software=20 vendors developing applications for security and = management,=20 Advanced Micro Devices is supporting = DASH=20 (desktop and mobile architecture for system = hardware) as a=20 way to secure laptops and one that uses open standards = (Intel=20 also supports DASH standards).

With the notion that laptops need to be as secure = as=20 desktops, Intel made a number of incremental = improvements to=20 the technologies that are now included with the = Centrino=20 2 vPro platform. While none of the improvements = made=20 headlines during the July 14 launch, the vPro = technologies are=20 important to IT departments looking to bring a sense = of order=20 to a corporate client fleet that is increasingly = becoming=20 mobile.

"Wireless management is [becoming] more and more = important=20 because more of the enterprise is mobile," said Roger = Kay,=20 founder of Endpoint Technologies Associates.

The first and most significant update is that IT=20 departments can now use vPro to manage, monitor and = update=20 notebooks that are out-of-band and no longer working = off the=20 corporate LAN (the notebook has to be connected to an = AC=20 outlet for this feature to work).

These improvements give the IT department the = ability to=20 wirelessly power on a laptop, which allows = administrators to=20 apply patches, update the desktop image or perform = routine=20 maintenance, such as defragging the notebook after = hours or=20 once a PC has left the corporate LAN. At the same = time, the=20 employee can contact IT support, and after a few = basic=20 steps, the administrator can remotely reboot the = client and=20 fix the image.

"Most management tools are inside the fire wall and = within=20 the enterprise network," Kay said. "Enterprise = notebooks are=20 often inside the network, but sometimes they are = not=97and all=20 types of things can happen. When they are in a hot = spot, and=20 they download something they shouldn't have, they = become a=20 keylogger [with a virus]."

This part of vPro also has a green aspect since IT = can=20 switch off or remotely send laptops into = hibernation,=20 which can save power.

On the security side, Intel enhanced the Trusted Execution = Technology=20 of vPro to work with notebooks. In this case, the=20 technology provides a protected execution environment = where=20 data is processed away from other software. When=20 virtualization is added, vPro helps created a layer of = trust=20 that is rooted in the hardware level. This extra layer = protects data going into the system, as well as = providing an=20 isolation area for any malicious code that might = filter=20 in.

The other significant area that Intel addressed = with vPro=20 this time is how SMBs (small and midsize businesses) = can take=20 advantage of the technology. Camille Morhardt, a = marketing=20 manager with Intel's Mobile Platforms Group, explained = that=20 the chip maker is looking to work with service = providers who=20 will act as the IT department for SMBs that cannot = afford=20 their own IT staff.

The new remote capabilities also help many SMBs = that are=20 working almost exclusively with wireless networks and = are no=20 longer buying cable to create their own LANs, Morhardt = said.

"We really see wireless expanding in the = small-business=20 space, and these businesses are not rolling out a lot = of LAN=20 cable anymore," Morhardt said. "At the same time, the = small=20 businesses are turning to service providers to = help=97and with=20 vPro=97we are trying to give those guys the ability to = remote=20 monitor and offer manageability and support to their=20 customers."

There is one obstacle standing in the way of more = SMBs=20 taking advantage of vPro. For now, Intel's vPro is = included in=20 high-end corporate notebooks, which are more = expensive, and=20 SMB buyers tend to look for less expensive = laptops.

However, John Spooner, an analyst with Technology = Business=20 Research, believes Intel has made some strides to make = vPro=20 work better with laptops, which could lead more = companies to=20 adopt the platform.

"Right now, Intel is making vPro do for laptops = what it=20 already does for desktops," Spooner said. "Intel has a = firm=20 base to build on and they have the software partners = who are=20 ready to offer some innovation for what is essentially = a=20 platform for them to build applications on."

	Discuss Intel=20 vPro: What is New for = IT

	This = is Scott=20 Ferguson. Please tell us your thoughts on = Intel=92s=20 vPro technology and...

	this = is great.=20 check out www.leapways.com = also.

	>>> Post your=20 comment now!



	>>> = More Desktops=20 & Notebooks=20 = Articles &nbs= p; >>> More By Scott=20 Ferguson

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	Ziff Davis Enterprise Home \| Contact Us \| Advertise \| Link=20 to Us \| Reprints \| Magazine Subscriptions \| Newsletters Tech=20 RSS Feeds \| White=20 Papers \| ROI=20 Calculators \| Tech=20 Podcasts \| Tech Video \| VARs=20 \| System=20 Builder
	Baseline \| Careers \| Channel Insider \| CIO Insight \| DesktopLinux \| DeviceForge \| DevSource \| eSeminars \| eWEEK \| Enterprise Network = Security=20 \| LinuxDevices \| Linux Watch \| Microsoft Watch \| Mid-market \| Networking \| PDF Zone \| Publish \| Security IT = Hub \| Strategic Partner \| Web Buyer's Guide \| Windows for=20 Devices
	Developer Shed \| Dev Shed \| ASP Free \| Dev Articles \| Dev Hardware \| SEO Chat \| Tutorialized \| Scripts \| Code Walkers \| Web Hosters \| Dev Mechanic \| Dev Archives \| igrep Use of this site = is=20 governed by our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
	Copyright = =A91996-2008 Ziff Davis Enterprise = Holdings=20 Inc. All Rights Reserved. eWEEK and Spencer F. Katt are = trademarks of=20 Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings, Inc. Reproduction in whole or in = part in=20 any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff = Davis=20 Enterprise Inc. is prohibited.