Intel CEO Brian Krzanich

Intel has just made its latest bid to persuade enterprises to upgrade their PCs with the release of its 5th generation Intel Core vPro Broadwell chip. This time around, its teasing the prospect of a wire-free workplace, with new wireless docking and display technology, together with a range of IT department-friendly features that enhance device management and security.

The main idea is to rid workplaces of the myriad of computer cables and connectors that get under everyone’s feet. The chips will be built into a range of machines, including desktops, business laptops and mini-PCs.

“We aim to transform the user experience by helping them compute from virtually anywhere without the clutter and burden of wires,” Tom Garrison, general manager of Intel’s business client platforms, said in a statement.

Intel envisions a future where there’ll be no need power cables and power bricks – we’ll simply charge our devices wirelessly, while everything will connect without the need for display and USB cables. Wireless charging is for now still some way off, but Intel is hoping to add the feature when it rolls out its next line of processors, called Skylake, later this year. In the meantime, wireless connectivity has already arrived.

Besides less clutter, the vPro chips offer a complete client manageability and security options. For those unfamiliar with vPro, its an out-of-band management technology Intel has built into a variety of its products, including CPUs, chipsets, NICs and SSDs, among others. Intel brands its tech Intel Active Management Technology (AMT), which offers various IT management tools at the hardware level, meaning remote PCs can be accessed even when they’re switched off.

This can be useful in various scenarios. For example, if a device containing sensitive data is stolen, AMT can access its location, restrict access or wipe all of the data stored on it. Other cool features of AMT include an integrated VMC server that allows for remote monitoring of Intel’s integrated graphics feed, keyboard and mouse controls, and the ability to redirect the boot process of a PC to a remote image.

Intel’s 5th generation Intel Core vPro Broadwell chip is an extremely enterprise-friendly one, but organizations may want to hold off on their upgrades just yet. This release is generally considered to be an interim chip designed to pacify customers until Skylake makes its debut later in the year, on machines running Microsoft’s new Windows 10 operating system.

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