Systems integrator, Leading Solutions, has taken the wrappers off three technology centres showcasing Intel’s vPro remote management technology to customers.
Located in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, the demonstration facilities provide real-life examples of how to use vPro tools across a fleet of machines. Alongside Intel, the centre is supported by IBM, HP, Lenovo and Toshiba.
Leading Solutions managing director, Frank Colli, claimed it was the first such facility developed jointly by Intel and a channel partner and the first of its type across Asia-Pacific. The integrator and its vendor partners have invested over $150,000 building the centres over the past six months.
“It’s about adding value to our customers and strengthening the three-way relationship between us as the dealer, the vendor and our customers,” Colli said. “vPro technology has been in the market a while now, but many customers are still not utilising its benefits. vPro comes into its own when you talk about lowering costs or maintaining a PC fleet.”
Colli estimated about 75 per cent of Leading’s customers today had machines embedded with vPro technology.
“It’s not about selling a product anymore – we can all do that,” he said. “We expect more business from this, but these centres are about educating customers on how to use this technology effectively.”
The centre is targeted at IT workers, executives and managers. Intel general manager, Phil Cronin, said the centres allowed Leading Solutions to show customers the productivity, green and cost benefits of using vPro while giving it a competitive advantage.
“2009, 2010 and going into 2011 will be tumultuous times for the market. If you don’t have a value-add and can’t continue to re-innovate your offering with more delivery, credibility and support, you won’t stay relevant,” he said. “Customers will not only be facing economic issues, but also carbon emissions reporting schemes. CIOs are also looking for cost reductions, but at the same time, a business advantage.”
vPro was launched by Intel about 18 months ago as a platform for managing PC systems remotely. Situated on the chipset, the technology allows the administrator to secure, manage and configure a PC environment from a centralised console, ensure policies and compliance at a hardware level, and shut down and boot-up PCs simultaneously. Several new features will be released in the New Year including anti-theft protection and encryption.