Hybrid and remote working arrangements are now a common feature in many companies – a consequence of the pandemic and one that is potentially going to become a permanent employment option.  Some enterprise players are now making the transition from remote to hybrid workweeks, including Google. And according to Intel, hybrid and remote setups have become a catalyst for the design of computing systems able to “empower productivity” no matter the size of a company. The vPro platform has been created to “meet these technology demands and offer a wide range of computing options.” On March 3, the US tech giant said vPro, now compatible with 12th-gen hardware, comes in four flavors: Intel vPro Enterprise for Windows, vPro Essentials, vPro Enterprise for Chrome, and vPro, An Evo Design. 

vPro Enterprise for Windows: This platform comes with a full set of features and is targeted toward enterprise players and managed businesses.  vPro Essentials: Designed for SMBs and larger companies, vPro Essentials includes device management support, enhanced security, and Intel Hardware Shield.  vPro Enterprise for Chrome: This platform has been designed by Intel for the professional Chromebook market, “with the performance, stability, and security technologies that businesses require.”  vPro, An Evo Design: This platform subset is tailored for mobility in work environments, in particular, notebooks. 

The platform is supported by Intel’s 12th-generation processor family. The 12th-gen Intel Core architecture contains options for both mobile and desktop machines and includes a mix of Intel’s Performance (P-cores) and Efficient cores (E-cores).  12th-gen Alder Lake processors support DDR5 (desktop) and both DDR5 and LPDDR5 memory (mobile), while Intel vPro Enterprise workstations also cater for ECC memory with corresponding Intel chipsets. Mobile users can adopt Thunderbolt 4 docking if they choose, and Intel continues to support 1Gbps/2.5Gbps wired Ethernet connections.  According to Intel, the 12th-gen processor range has been built to improve machine performance when business users need to use remote collaboration apps, such as VoIP. In tests against rival chipsets, for example, Intel claims that the 12th-gen Intel Core i9-12900 is up to 23% faster when Excel files are being edited and shared over Zoom, and up to 46% more responsive when Microsoft Power BI files are being edited and shared.  Overall, Intel says that mobile and desktop users can expect a performance boost of up to 27% and 21% faster mainstream application performance in comparison to previous generations, respectively. Security appears to be an area Intel has worked to improve with vPro. Intel has enhanced its chipsets to bolster protection against code injection attacks and has introduced security mechanisms at the silicon level for OS virtualization and Chrome systems.  Among security enhancements available is anomalous behavior detection to detect ransomware infections. Hardware Shield, Intel’s trusted execution system, and Security System Report, a mechanism for managing Windows security configurations, are also available. Furthermore, Intel has also included System Resource Defense, SSM protections required for Microsoft Secured-core PC compliance, multi-key encryption protections, and defenses against cold boot attacks.  Over 150 commercial designs have been developed using the platform and devices will become available this year.  Dynabook, formerly Toshiba PC Co, has introduced new designs based on 12th-gen Intel processors. The Samsung GalaxyBook2 business laptop is another new offering based on Intel vPro technologies.

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