Chip technology means wake-up call for networks

Intel has fired a new salvo in the war between chipmakers with technology that enables IT departments to more easily manage computers even when they are switched off.

The new technology, dubbed vPro, is based on the Intel Core 2 Duo chips used in servers, desktops and laptops, and is intended to boost sales of processors used in corporate computers.

Intel is facing intense competition from AMD and is on a cost-cutting drive that will cut 10,500 employees from its worldwide workforce.

Intel has had some successes lately, including Apple's move to using Intel's chips in its computers.

But it suffered a blow in May when one of its major customers, Dell Computer, said it would sell servers with AMD chips. Dell has since extended support of AMD chips to its desktop range.

Intel is betting on vPro's management capabilities to keep corporate customers loyal as they upgrade their computer.

To carry the vPro badge, PCs must have an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, Intel's Q965 Express chipset and a Gigabit Ethernet controller.

For the first time, Intel's hardware will carry code from third-party software vendors so that popular network management and anti-virus packages will work with vPro.

Presenting vPro in Sydney this month, Intel's customer solutions group regional manager Brett Hannath, said the main concern of IT managers was controlling the cost of maintaining computer networks.

IT managers seeking to improve the performance of their computer networks had traditionally invested in more hardware and people.

"The solution was to ramp up the power of the [processor], put more slots into the PC and more people out there to support those vulnerable desktops."

That was no longer an option, as IT budgets were generally "flat or down".

The vPro technology is a combination of "firmware, software and silicon" that uses technology built into Intel's chips and active management technology to give IT managers management and security options for each computer.

Intel research showed that only 13 per cent of IT support calls required a visit to the desktop to fix the problem.

But those visits accounted for 46 per cent of the cost of maintaining a network of desktops.

"We can wake the PC up and push patches out," said Hannath. "We can do overnight updates and ensure every PC has an antivirus patch."

As long as a computer is plugged in to the company Ethernet network and mains power, it can be remotely switched on and controlled using a software-based management console.

It is designed to smooth installation of software upgrades and security patches to large numbers of computers.

Usually, an IT department will tell users to leave their computers on overnight if a patch upgrade is scheduled. With vPro, there is no need to leave the machines on as they can be started by the IT department, allowing power savings.

The technology has attracted interest from major IT outsource companies such as EDS which says the technology could result in a 50 per cent reduction in "desk-side visits" - sending a technician out to fix a PC.

But IT integrators looking after the computer networks of small and medium-sized businesses also see merit in vPro.

Dragan Dimitrovici, managing director of Melbourne IT management company Xenon, said it gave IT managers looking after small and mid-sized computer networks tools that were not previously available.

"We saw this happen on the server side five years ago," he said. "The large enterprise has always had these kinds of tools.

"But for 100 to 200 computers, you can't justify an $80,000 management software package.

Anti-virus software vendors are among vPro's most enthusiastic supporters, as their customers face the prospect of networks security being breached if all their computers don't get the latest updates.

Symantec's regional marketing manager, Robert Pregnell, said the big headache in managing antivirus software for a company was making sure people didn't turn off the security when they encountered a problem.

Pregnell said that because so much control was likely to be managed by the vPro hardware and management console, it was likely to attract the interest of hackers.

He said the encryption of information held on the vPro memory and the fact that access to the computers was allowed only through the management console, made vPro relatively secure.

"A trojan can get to the operating system only through the management console," he said.

* Peter Griffin attended the Sydney vPro launch as a guest of Intel.