Intel Extends vPro Management

The platform includes the new Q57 Express chipset and 82577LM Gigabit Network Connection for notebooks, and the 82578DM Network Connection for desktop PCs. The processors themselves – the Core i5 and i7 – are built on Intel’s 32nm Nehalem processor architecture featuring Turbo Boost Technology and Hyper-Threading Technology.

Intel has integrated high-definition graphics in its processors with this generation of vPro, as well as its second-generation high-k metal gate transistors that help increase computing speed and battery life.

The latest version also includes Anti-Theft Technology, which locks access to a PC if a central server or on-board intelligence concludes it is lost or stolen. In addition, the technology enables encryption solutions to disable access to cryptographic keys to completely block access to data, and a custom message can be displayed in a pre-OS screen of the disabled PC for anyone who tries to access the computer. Finally, new technology makes it simpler to reactivate a PC once it’s recovered.

vPro also now comes equipped with KVM control, allowing IT administrators to have full access to users’ PCs and see what they see when necessary. This option replaces the need for separate KVM appliances.

Intel also added new instructions for the Advanced Encryption Standard into the processors that speed encryption and decryption, and its new Remote Encryption Management enables distant IT personnel to manage PCs with encrypted hard drives by more securely unlocking those drives, making all of the Intel vPro Technology capabilities available, according to the company.

Computer vendors Acer, ASUS, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo and Toshiba have begun incorporating the 2010 vPro family into their lines of business PCs, and software developers including Bomgar, Kaseya, LANDesk, Level Platforms, LogMeIn, Microsoft, RealVNC, Spiceworks, Symantec and WinZip will support the new features in their upcoming products.