Though there is no denying the appeal of slim and lightweight Ultrabook laptops or the new Windows 8 tablets, there may be times when a more powerful workstation class laptop is required to get the job done. Even more important is the need for security given the popularity of BYOD, especially important since relatively few laptop places an emphasis on security.
One laptop that came to my attention would be the newly introduced Dell Latitude E6540 laptop. The 15.6-inch device comes with the latest Haswell CPU from Intel, and measures less than one inch in thickness. Importantly, Dell says the Latitude E6540 is the most powerful and most secure laptop made by the company.
Specifications
The 15.6-inch anti-glare LED display that the Latitude E6540 sports is available in either 1366×768 or full HD (1920×1080) resolutions. Under the hood is a fourth-generation Intel i7-4800MQ quad-core processor and Intel HD Graphics 4600 GPU. For users that demand greater graphics capabilities however, Dell does offer an optional 128-bit discrete graphics with 2GB memory from an unnamed manufacturer.
Other important specifications of the laptop include a Gigabit Ethernet port, Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11g/n wireless radio, an optical DVD ROM or Read/Write drive. On the storage front, the laptop can be configured with either a solid-state hybrid drive (SSHD) or solid-state drive (SSD) option. The E6540 isn’t light though, and weighs a hefty 5.64lbs (2.56kg)
Upsized Security to tackle BYOD
As mentioned earlier, it is interesting to note that the Latitude E6540 offers a range of security capabilities along the lines of comprehensive encryption, strong authentication, and malware protection. For malware protection, Dell Protected Workspace is a proactive approach towards malware that Dell says is capable of detecting and blocking all malicious behavior in real time. Moreover, users can also opt for the more traditional McAfee Security Center to be bundled together with the Latitude E6540 laptop.
Where encryption is concerned, businesses are spoilt for choice with options such as simplified BitLocker management to the use of a hardware crypto accelerator for the highest level of FIPS 1400-2 protection that is commercially available for system disks. Authentication protection is even more varied, and businesses can opt to use a FIPS 201-certified smart card, the integrated fingerprint reader, RSA SecurID, along with FIPS 140-2-certified TPM support.
Proprietary security tools like Dell ControlVault adds another layer of hardware security by isolating user passwords and credentials on a separately controlled hardware chip for stronger protection from potentially unsecured operating systems and physical hard drives. Finally, Intel vPro extensions allow for remote BIOS management and hard drive wipe, even when systems are offline. When it comes to managing the Latitude E6540, Microsoft System Center and Dell KACE appliances for centralized and automated management to help save time and money.
The Latitude E6540 laptop is a solid workstation clearly designed for security in mind. More importantly, it offers a large number of security capabilities that goes above and beyond what is typically found in other business laptops. Applied properly, it should serve to secure your precious data from data leakage.
This is a paid post in conjunction with IDG and Dell