Intel Mobilises vPro Marketing To Target SMB Security

Intel is pitching its latest version of vPro on its second generation Core processors (Sandy Bridge) at the SMB rather than the larger companies it has approached in the past.

As smaller companies start to mobilise their workers with more powerful apps and cloud-based services, security is becoming an issue. The loss of a laptop is more likely to compromise an SMB with a more damaging effect than it would have on a larger company. To minimise the damage, Intel is highlighting the remote security advances contained in vPro’s Anti-Theft (AT v3.0) technology.

Messaging For Poison Pill Delivery

AT already has the ability to disable a lost or stolen laptop remotely over the Internet but, with more portable systems using 3G modems, the new version contains the capability to disable a system over the mobile phone network. As Intel points out, disabling only deactivates the laptop so Intel also advises that encryption should be used to prevent thieves from simply removing the hard disk and connecting it to another computer.

The “poison pill” message that delivers the killer blow to the missing computer is contained in an authenticated, encrypted SMS message sent from an administrator’s mobile phone. The target system will automatically be disabled as soon as it is switched on and links to the 3G network.

In addition, if the 3G modem is fitted with a global positioning system (GPS), the laptop can also be located for retrieval. A recovered system can then be remotely revived by the AT system, without user intervention, using the same SMS delivery system.

In the past, lost vPro laptops were vulnerable if they were in standby mode at the time they went missing, which was often the case. Intel has addressed this in AT 3.0 by changing the normal login procedure to include an encryption login. This means that laptops, activated after disabling the Internet or mobile network connection to prevent remote disabling, cannot be booted up without first entering the necessary login information.

The emphasis on SMBs does not detract from vPro’s applications to all companies. Rick Echevarria, vice president for the Intel Architecture Group and general manager, Business Client Platform Division, pointed out that all businesses are facing a growing number of challenges that could be met with the combination of technologies in vPro.

“Possibly more critical,” he said, “it readies businesses for major changes to come in such areas as desktop virtualisation, cloud computing and the complementary relationship between PCs and the growing variety of other computing devices.”

On the management side, the inclusion of Host-Based Configuration automates the setting up of vPro functions on new computers. Thousands of systems can be configured within minutes, the company claims and, if problems arise, there is a Keyboard-Video-Mouse Remote Control to allow remote access to a worker’s screen in higher resolutions than on previous versions.

The added power of the dual-core chips is enhanced by vPro, Echevarria said. Comparing a new Core vPro i5 with a three-year old Core 2 Duo, shows speed improvements of 60 percent for business applications, 100 percent in multitasking and 300 percent for data encryption, he claimed.

“This kind of performance equates to enormous promise for the PC, for example, as the ‘hub’ for the varied combination of tablets, smart phones, netbooks and operating systems filling our pockets and briefcases,” he explained. “The new Core vPro processor family has the capacity to offload tasks or even better share them to get the most from companion devices. With such performance, the PC could be a service provider, coordinating encryption, virus scanning, near transparent syncs and remote control.”