I have heard from several sources that Intel's WFM is really taking off, and Intel/OEMs are thinking of putting WFM certified stickers on PCs which conform. This is really putting a damper on any thoughts of a "cheap, dumb PC", such as a NC or even NetPC, becoming a new trend in businesses. WFM allows the same reduction in costs without sacrificing performance and flexibility at the desktop.
joey
Monday September 29 11:01 AM EDT
Company Press Release
PC Industry Delivers on Manageability
HILLSBORO, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 29, 1997--A new generation of PCs that can be
easily and effectively managed over networks will soon be available to business users.
Intel Corp. today announced that the majority of leading PC manufacturers are building and testing
systems based on industry specifications for advanced manageability. Over 20 companies building
this next generation of PCs and related management applications tested the interoperability of their
products last week, signaling the imminent delivery of manageable networked solutions that can help
lower ownership costs.
The PCs and products tested at last week's Intel-hosted event were based on two complementary
specifications: the Wired for Management (WFM) Baseline Specification for PCs, and the Network
PC (Net PC) System Design Guidelines for Net PCs. Both specifications, co-developed by Intel
with others in the PC industry, provide for a common baseline level of manageability and help ensure
that networked PCs and management applications are interoperable. With these capabilities
deployed, customers can automatically and remotely deploy, configure, monitor, service and repair
PCs at all hours to increase productivity and reduce support costs.
The industry momentum behind Intel's WFM Baseline, the Net PC and Microsoft's Zero
Administration for Windows vision indicates the value of aligning manageability to reduce the overall
total cost of ownership. Products incorporating standards-based management components will help
IT departments and businesses lower costs by enhancing the centralized administration capabilities of
computers. The hardware and software products also tested at the event enable PCs to deliver the
remote deployment and management services that are defined in the WFM Baseline and Net PC
specifications.
``Manageable PCs and Net PCs are here now, and so are the tools to manage them,'' said Pat
Gelsinger, vice president and general manager of Intel's Desktop Products Group. ``Thanks to the
industry's energized support of the WFM Baseline and Net PCs, customers' demand for
performance and interoperable manageability can be met.''
``Customers have responded very well to the PC industry's overall efforts to reduce the cost of
deploying, using and owning Windows-based managed PCs, such as the Net PC,'' said Richard
Tong, vice president, Personal and Business Systems Division at Microsoft Corp. ``We are pleased
to continue working closely with Intel and the industry to implement these guidelines for integrated
manageability of hardware and software for the next generation of Windows systems.''
Interoperability events for WFM Baseline and Net PC systems are part of Intel's Wired for
Management initiative, a broad-scale effort to reduce PC and server support costs without
sacrificing the benefits of high-performance business computing based on Intel Pentium(R) II
processors, Pentium Pro processors and Pentium processors with MMX(TM) technology.
The test event involved PCs and products from a long list of suppliers committed to supporting the
WFM Baseline and Net PC capabilities, including the co-authors of the Net PC guidelines,
Compaq, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft and Intel. Others included leading PC manufacturers,
network hardware and boot-ROM vendors, and management software suppliers: IBM, Intel,
Gateway 2000, Packard-Bell-NEC, Computer Associates, Tivoli, AST, Fountain, Acer, Bull/ZDS,
Micron, Seanix, Siemens-Nixdorf, Toshiba, Unisys, NEC-Japan, Lanworks, Incom,
Hewlett-Packard, and 3Com.
More information on Intel's Wired for Management Initiative can be found on Intel's Web site at
www.intel.com/managedpc .
Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer of personal computer,
networking and communications products. Additional information is available at
www.intel.com/pressroom .
Note to Editors: Third party marks and brands are property of their respective holders.
Contact:
Intel Corp.
Seth Walker, 408/765-2988
seth_walker@ccm.sc.intel.com |
