IDF: Intel vPro drills down to smaller companies

Intel is updating its vPro system management tools in a move that it claims will make life easier for IT administrators.

Rick J. Echevarria, vice president of the Intel Architecture Group and general manager of the Business Client Platform division, said that the main improvements to the vPro line up are better management tools for smaller companies, and a spread of new vPro-enabled processors.

"There will be a very aggressive ramp up of second-generation vPro software, " he told V3.co.uk at IDF 2010 in San Francisco.

The company is piling on the features, he said, and IT administrators can take advantage of the enhancements immediately.

Smaller companies in particular are seeing the advantages of vPro, according to Adam Greenwood Byrne from network specialists Real VNC.

The new features allow IT managers of smaller companies to build a solid, secure network with minimal effort.

"If you're setting a couple of thousand machines you've got to spend a lot of time building a management console," he told V3.co.uk. "Now, a simple USB key will do it, which is a much more sensible solution for a smaller company."

Real VNC is working with Intel with its VNC Viewer, which allows IT managers to set computing parameters for a $99 (£63) flat fee per admin.