Managed service providers, system administrators and system builders have discovered a common interest -- getting Intel"s deep-drilling vPro and cPro platforms into the desktops and laptops they manage and sell. The vPro platform, rolled out last September, was built to allow remote management of systems below the operating system. It includes a Core 2 Duo processor, the business-optimized Q965 chipset, Intel gigabit network processors, and Intel Active Management and Virtualization technology. With a vPro platform installed, authorized administrators can get into a desktop to manage it even if it"s powered down. The cPro platform, launched this past May, does the same with Intel Centrino technology for laptops.
The latest version of the vPro board, code-named "Weybridge," was released Monday. It features beefed-up security and new virtualization capabilities in a package that includes a Core 2 Duo processor, the Q35 Express chip set and the 82566DM gigabit network interface connector. On the "Green IT" front, Intel claims improved energy performance for the vPro 2007 to the tune of 30 percent for CPU max power and 60 percent for idle power, and 55 percent for both chipset max and idle power.