Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) has unveiled the second generation of its Core processor family with vPro technology, formerly codenamed Sandy Bridge.
Rick Echevarria, vice-president of Intel’s architecture group and general manager of business client platforms division, said with computing models and the way we work continuing to evolve, today’s PC users expect more.
“The second generation of vPro processors allow users to stay ahead and to deal with the significant shifts that are taking place in the industry,” Echevarria said. “The vPro ecosystem continues to innovate to create compelling solutions for businesses of all sizes.”
In the realm of desktop virtualization, Echevarria said the second generation of Intel’s Core vPro processors allow users to be more flexible and capable since the products are optimized to handle “any and all virtualization technologies that today’s enterprises are using,” he added.
The second generation of Intel’s Core i5 and Core i7 vPro processors also feature improved security enhancements, Echevarria said.
“With our Core vPro processors, IT now has built-in security capabilities to protect the data on the inside,” he said. “VPro is leading the way with encryption, theft protection and identity protection.”
The second generation Core vPro processors also include anti-theft technology from Intel, now in version 3.0, which helps users protect the data on their missing PCs. In the event of a laptop being lost or stolen, users can send a poison pill over the Internet to completely disable the computer and to prevent access to encrypted data. The newest version of Intel’s anti-theft technology also allows the poison pill to be sent as an encrypted, authenticated short message service (SMS) by an authorized administrator over a 3G network.
Echevarria said other enhancements include data encryption that’s up to four-times faster, the ability for IT to unlock encrypted drives that require pre-boot authentication and manage data security settings even while PCs are turned off, energy efficiency processors and an improved visual experience.
Echevarria encouraged partners to “get your hands on one and put it through its paces.”
“Small to medium-sized business (SMB) represents a huge opportunity for vPro,” Echevarria said. “It’s intended to address the needs of large enterprises and SMBs. We’ve seen a great amount of creativity in terms of the kinds of solutions the channel brings on top of vPro. With the second generation, we believe it makes it easier to configure so the channel can more easily deliver a number of solutions to (their) customers.”
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