Intel Adds 'Authenticate' Security to New VPro Chips

Intel's latest business-friendly processors are shipping now.

The company's sixth-generation Intel Core vPro processors are designed for corporate users, and will deliver 2.5 times the performance and triple the battery life compared to a five-year-old Intel-based device. The company is also promising a 30-times graphics performance boost.

The update may not mean much to consumers, but it's an appealing feature for corporate customers since it adds some extra security and remote management features not found in consumer processors.

That includes Authenticate, a multi-factor authentication tool that enhances identity protection, which in theory would make it harder for user data to be stolen.

"Intel Authenticate verifies identities by using a combination of up to three hardened factors at the same time: 'something you know,' such as a personal identification number; 'something you have,' including a mobile phone; and 'something you are,' like a fingerprint," Intel wrote in a statement. "IT can choose from multiple hardened factors of authentication that are based on company policies, and no longer has to rely solely on employees remembering complicated passwords."

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Still, simply shipping a processor isn't enough for Intel to move forward: the company needs to get budget-conscious corporate world to upgrade their computers. In a statement, Intel tried to make that sales pitch, saying that older laptops can cost a company over $4,200 in "maintenance and lost productivity," while its vPro chips can fix that problem.

Intel's new processors are shipping now on computers from Dell, Lenovo, HP, Acer, and others. The chips work on everything from desktops to 2-in-1 hybrids.