Trying to duplicate the success of its Centrino technology for mobile computers, Intel Corp. said Wednesday it will launch a desktop PC platform later this month geared specifically for businesses.
The chip maker's Professional Business Platform will consist of a Pentium 4 processor but will also include features that simplify system management, enhance security and decrease power requirements, said Laura Anderson, an Intel spokeswoman.
Systems based on the platform will be the first to incorporate Intel Active Management Technology that will help a company's computer administrators remotely monitor and protect PCs even when they're turned off or have crashed.
Corporate computer administrators will be able to access a complete inventory of what's installed on each computer and make changes. They also can audit for compliance with software licensing agreements, Anderson said.
On the security front, the computers will support a technology that prevents certain software-based attacks known as "buffer overruns."
Intel did not disclose pricing or identify the PC makers that will offer the computers built on the new platform. In an e-mail, Anderson said the "vast majority of leading computer manufacturers worldwide" will sell systems.
In recent months, the Santa Clara-based company has been moving toward offering platforms targeted at specific uses. The trend started in 2003, when it launched a processor, chipset and wireless radio chip under the Centrino brand.
Today, about 31 percent of all chips leaving Intel's factories will end up in mobile computers, compared with 17 percent in 1999. The approach also has helped stabilize notebook prices and grow Intel's market share, the company said.
