Intel releases mobile business platform

Intel has launched a mobile version of its business platform under the Centrino Pro brand.

The platform allows IT departments to remotely manage and patch systems. First unveiled in April last year, vPro enabled desktops have been shipping since September.

Systems that qualify for the logo programme have to meet certain hardware and software requirements. Those for instance ensure compliance with a company's security policies and enable remote management features such as the ability to boot up systems over a network to apply updates and patches at night.

Centrino Pro and vPro will be slightly different however.

"There will be a gap in the features between Centrino Pro and vPro," Intel spokesperson Christine Dotts said.

The Centrino platform for instance allows systems to be managed over a Wi-Fi connection where vPro supports only Ethernet connections.

The two platforms also will have separate roadmaps. Intel plans to release an update to vPro in the second half of this year. The chipmaker couldn't say when it plans to make the Weybridge features available to mobile systems. 

Weybridge among things adds support for Intel's Trusted Execution Technology (TXT) formerly known as 'LeGrande'. Working with the industry standard Trusted Platform Module security chip, TXT allows applications and processes to operate in a shielded environment and prevents code tampering.

TXT verifies an application's authenticity before it is executed by comparing a hash value for the current and past states. If attackers replace an application with infected code, TXT will prevent it from being executed.

The technology won't be part of the initial Centrino Pro systems, Dotts said.

The Centrino Pro technology will be made available to PC manufacturers in the second quarter of this year as part of its mobile platform.

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