Last year, we took an in-depth look at remote management technology in Intel vPro: Three Generations Of Remote Management. That piece covered everything from the Wolfdale-based Core 2 to the Clarkdale-based Core i5 and Sandy Bridge-based Core i5. In the process, we were able to explore Active Management Technology and the KVM Remote feature.

Not content to leave that feature as an Intel-only look at hardware-based remote management, we also gleaned as much information as possible from AMD on its DASH initiative. Unfortunately, that story fell flat on its face when we discovered there aren't any motherboards with DASH support. Really, your only option for the functionality we discussed is Intel's vPro.

And that takes us to Intel's recent refresh of the platform, coinciding with the introduction of Ivy Bridge-based CPUs and 7-series chipsets. We're currently working on a hands-on evaluation of the updated version of vPro, which includes some interesting security-oriented testing, plus an introduction to a pared-down management suite called Small Business Advantage.

In the meantime, we've put together a video covering some of what vPro and SBA entail, along with details about the hardware involved.