Intel reveals how vPro will work in its twelfth generation of processors. For the first time, the manufacturer is splitting the management component into four families.
Intel is breaking down what vPro looks like for its twelfth-generation Alder Lake Core processors. vPro is the management component of Intel chips that allows organizations to manage their devices remotely. vPro indicates several technologies but mainly indicates the presence of Intel Active Management Technology (AMT).
vPro has traditionally been of particular interest to enterprises, but Intel hopes with Alder Lake to market the technology more broadly. To that end, the manufacturer is splitting vPro into four families: vPro Enterprise, vPro Enterprise for Chrome, vPro Essentials and vPro – An Intel Evo Design.
Known flavors
vPro Enterprise you know: that’s the classic vPro. vPro – An Intel Evo Design we don’t have to spend many words on either. That is again the ordinary vPro, but combined with a laptop with the Evo badge. That badge indicates that the device is an ultrabook that meets high standards set by Intel. Think speed, battery life and weight.
Similarly, vPro Enterprise for Chrome already reveals much of its raison d’être in its name. This version of vPro is optimized for Chromebooks but is again targeted for deployment in enterprise environments. The introduction of the capability shows how Chromebooks are becoming more and more mature, even in a professional setting.
vPro for the SME
By far the most interesting option is vPro Essentials. With this, Intel brings vPro to SMEs for the first time. vPro Essentials does not include the full AMT, but a light version: Intel Standard Manageability. With it, you can manage devices over Wi-Fi. That differs from AMT, which offers more features. Both vPro options do offer Hardware Shield and all the underlying technologies that come with it.
Note that the four families of vPro do not like to play together. Intel offers all options for Core i5, Core i7 and Core i9, but not simultaneously. So the CPU the laptop manufacturer chooses dictates which version of vPro is available. That gives manufacturers additional tools to differentiate their devices for different markets while also playing with price.