Technology Simplified

Intel® vPro™ is the latest in technology offering from Intel. vPro based laptops and desktops are now available in the market. The big question is: What is the benefit of this new technology? Does it make a difference to stability, speed or performance of a computer? These questions will be demystified today.

vPro technology is built to enhance manageability of computers in any environment. This is a hardware based solution that allows technicians to manage/troubleshoot computers remotely, even if the computer is not booting. Yes, even if the computer is in a no boot state. This allows technicians and IT departments to take a stock of both hardware and software issues, without the need of physical intervention. Currently, remote troubleshooting is possible only if you have network/internet connectivity, which comes only if a computer is booting into the Operating System (Usually Microsoft Windows). This technology will permit technicians to look at your machine remotely, even if the computer is not going to the familiar desktop screen. vPro is Windows 7 ready and support virtualization also. It includes hardware capabilities that allow OS and application streaming also.

This technology allows technicians to access the PC even if the PC power is off, the OS is not responding/ booting, or hardware has failed. It also allows technicians to access critical system information such as Windows event logs, application logs, BIOS information, etc. This technology also equips technicians/users with capability to remotely power on a PC. It ensures that a corporate IT setup remains sanitized by comprehensive patch management, which will be possible now even if some machines are powered off.

This technology also provides programmable defense mechanisms for protection against viruses and hacking attacks. It also provides programmable triggers that can protect data theft, in case a laptop is stolen. This technology is referred as Intel Anti-Theft Technology (Intel AT). This is a optional programmable tool for laptops. It can be configured to disable access to encrypted data by deleting the encryption keys stored locally, based on some definable events/triggers. It can also disable a PC completely so that it would not boot the Operating System, even if the hard drive of the computer is replaced or reformatted.

If you are thinking that these elements are scary and could potentially translate into loss of critical information, Intel has thought through the repercussions of this technology also. Intel AT also provides simple and easy reactivation and system recovery in case the Anti Theft technology was activated considering the events as a theft. This is done in the following 2 ways:

1. Users could provide a pass phrase and use it as a password during a special Pre-OS stage. If the user enters this password, the system can be recovered.
2. IT departments can generate special “Recovery Tokens” which can be used as a password on the special Pre-OS stage to recover the system.

Both these methods recover the computer to full functionality with no data loss.

 The chipsets that support vPro technology are energy efficient too. These systems support an enhanced system sleep state that shuts off one of the processors when it is not needed. It supports DDR3 memory which reduces device power consumption without compromising on speed of data flow.

What if I am a Home User?

This technology is not a differentiator for home users. The only advantage that it offers to home users is in form of troubleshooting no boot issues remotely. If your technical service provider supports it, he/she will be able to resolve even your no boot issues remotely, without the need of visiting you.

 All in all, this is a technology meant for corporations. This will dramatically impact the IT infrastructure maintenance costs and uptime, both of which are critical in current economic conditions.