Principled Technologies says Dell PCs lead on below-the-OS security

Principled Technologies’ independent comparison of Dell, HP and Lenovo PCs with Intel vPro says Dell offers the broadest below-the-OS security and system management support. The report says those capabilities matter as firmware- and hardware-level attacks grow more common in enterprise environments.

Why it matters: - Firmware and hardware attacks can bypass traditional endpoint security tools. - Enterprises are pushing for stronger below-the-OS protection, better remote management and tighter compliance support. - Principled Technologies’ findings put Dell ahead of HP and Lenovo on the specific security controls the report evaluated.

What happened: - Principled Technologies compared Dell, HP and Lenovo business PCs powered by Intel Core Ultra processors with Intel vPro. - The research focused on below-the-operating-system security and firmware protection. - PT used publicly available OEM documentation to assess 10 firmware and hardware capabilities. - The report says Dell fully supports all 10 evaluated security features. - The report says HP fully supports one feature and partially supports three. - The report says Lenovo fully supports two features and partially supports one other.

The details: - Dell’s fully supported capabilities include signed manifest of factory configuration. - Dell also supports quantum-resistant embedded security controller, BIOS and Embedded Controller signing updates. - Dell supports quantum-resistant BIOS verification on demand through off-host measurements. - Dell supports Intel Management Engine firmware verification through off-host measurements. - Dell supports BIOS image capture for forensic and security analysis. - Dell supports early and ongoing attack sequence detection. - Dell supports detection and remediation of common vulnerabilities and exposures, or CVEs. - Dell supports user credential storage using dedicated hardware. - Dell supports hardware-assisted security with Dell, Intel and CrowdStrike. - Dell supports below-the-OS telemetry integration for improved visibility. - PT identified Dell Secured Component Verification as a key differentiator. - For SCV on Cloud, Dell runs the verification pipeline in its own cloud infrastructure. - That setup maintains root of trust in the verification process. - That setup also provides fleetwide visibility through Microsoft Intune, Dell TechDirect and CrowdStrike Falcon without requiring dedicated verification server infrastructure. - Dell was the only OEM in the comparison to provide off-host BIOS verification with quantum-resistant hashing. - Dell was also the only OEM to provide off-host Intel Management Engine firmware verification against known-good references stored in Dell cloud infrastructure. - The report says those capabilities support remote device attestation and Zero Trust security architectures. - Dell Trusted Device integrates natively with CrowdStrike Falcon. - Falcon surfaces BIOS verification results, Indicators of Attack, Intel ME Firmware Verification, CVE Detection and Secured Component Verification telemetry. - Dell and CrowdStrike jointly developed more than 60 custom indicators of compromise for Dell infrastructure. - Dell ControlVault 3+ achieved FIPS 140-3 level 3 certification. - PT says that is the highest credential security level among the OEMs evaluated.

Between the lines: - The comparison suggests Dell has built a deeper stack of hardware-rooted security and management tools than the two rivals PT reviewed. - The cloud-based verification model appears designed to reduce infrastructure burden for customers while improving remote oversight. - The focus on quantum-resistant signing and hashing points to security planning that anticipates future cryptographic threats, not just current ones.

What's next: - Principled Technologies is directing readers to the full research report. - Enterprise buyers weighing new PCs may use the findings as part of vendor comparisons for security, compliance and fleet management. - As attacks move lower in the stack, below-the-OS protections are likely to remain a key differentiator in business PC procurement.

The bottom line: - Principled Technologies’ research says Dell PCs with Intel vPro offer the strongest below-the-OS security and system management support in the three-way comparison.