Wave Systems Corp. (fka WAVXQ)

[solas]

TPM mentioned for differentiation... (Third para. Sorry if repeat post. How does one bold text?)

-R

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1817010,00.asp


Intel Lightens IT Load with Baked-In Management Software


Building management directly into a PC is a step in the right direction, said one executive at a large PC maker, who wished to remain anonymous. But PC makers, who face intense competition, often deliver the same basic management technology across their desktop lines, and differentiate them with other features such as processor speed and hard-drive size.

Professional Business Platforms, by Intel's definition, must include a Pentium 4 630, 640 or 650 processor with hyperthreading—the chips range in speed from 3GHz to 3.4GHz—as well as the 945G chip set, which offers a faster, built-in graphics core. ADVERTISEMENT
The platform also will include the Intel Pro/1000PM Gigabit Ethernet adapter. Active Management, which requires the Intel Pro Gigabit Ethernet adapter, is an option on top of those.

It could well be too much for some, at least at first. PC makers instead might opt to spend money on security features, such as trusted platform modules, which can be used to differentiate themselves from competitors, the executive said.

To encourage adopters, Intel has been working to make the Active Management Technology attractive by collaborating with companies including Altiris, BMC Software, Checkpoint Software Technologies, Computer Associates, LANDesk Software, Novell, Symantec, StarSoftCom and Trend Micro.

"We've been working with all those companies to integrate Active Management into their paradigm. We're providing new hardware capabilities that can be exposed to those consoles," Ferron-Jones said. "You can get in there and do some diagnosis, all without user intervention … there's a lot to reduce desk-side visits."

The chip maker still doesn't expect that every Professional Business Platform PC will be fitted with Active Management Technology, Ferron-Jones said.

But Intel will continue to work on its business PC platform. Looking ahead to platforms for 2006 and beyond—where it will focus on boosting communications capabilities as well as on multitasking—the chip maker will add its dual-core chips, he said.

Dual-core chips are powering Intel's product-line shakeup. Click here to read more.

Although Intel has already delivered a dual-core Pentium Extreme Edition chip and will soon follow up with dual-core Pentium D next month, it's planning to offer them mainly to consumers and not to include them in the Professional Business Platform until 2006.

But the platform will gain dual-core chips in 2006 as well as additional, as-yet-undisclosed features.

"We will continue the program year to year, going forward," Ferron-Jones said.