Intel has launched a new desktop platform for enterprise clients designed to cut management costs. 

The vPro platform is centred around Intel's Conroe dual-core processor slated for release in the third quarter of 2006.

Intel will include support for Active Management Technology into its chipsets at around the same time, allowing for hardware-based policy enforcement and remote system management.

The company also touted its Virtualisation Technology as a way to bolster system security.

Intel chief Paul Otellini said at a company event in San Francisco that there is a need for a business platform because the cost of supporting desktop systems relative to the cost of hardware has skyrocketed. "It's time to reinvent the desktop," he stated.

The Intel Active Management Technology will enable IT administrators to further automate system maintenance and troubleshooting.

It will allow administrators to remotely boot up a system to allow patches to be applied overnight, rather than waiting for workers to boot up their systems in the morning.

The technology also enables IT departments to remotely reset systems that fail to boot up after a hard crash, and will support existing management software from vendors including Computer Associates and HP.

Virtualisation technology will enable a new level of security by creating a virtual compartment dedicated to security, setting up a buffer between the internet and the user data on a system.

The technology will be supported by third-party security products from vendors including Symantec and Kaspersky.

"It is a profound change in the way that a PC deals with how data comes in," said Otellini.

Conroe will not be available until the next quarter, but enterprises can expect the first sample units later this quarter to allow for testing. Intel touted several hardware manufacturers which will build vPro systems, including Dell, Lenovo and HP.

The vPro platform is similar to Intel's Centrino and Viiv platforms. Centrino informs consumers that they are buying an Intel powered mobile system optimised for wireless networking, and Viiv focuses on entertainment systems.

Qualifying systems will be identified by a special sticker. The vPro technology will be extended to mobile systems by 2007, according to Otellini.