15 Intel Products That Are Powering Sales For Partners

Intel, Partner Products On Display

Intel's push to focus on solutions rather than products was on full display at Intel Partner Connect 2018, which took place last week in National Harbor, Md. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company has made solutions a focal point to reduce the complexity for partners and customers trying to understand which hardware and software configurations best suit their needs.

At the Intel Partner Connect product showcase, the company put a spotlight on a variety of solutions, ranging from high-definition cameras for machine vision applications to an Internet of Things upgrade for vending machines. With Intel looking to provide more channel opportunities in the IoT space, the showcase served as a good opportunity for partners to learn about the company's IoT Market Ready Solutions and IoT RFP Ready Kits, both of which aim to simplify the process of deploying existing and new IoT solutions for customers.

What follows are 15 cool products from the Intel Partner Connect showcase.

Thin Clients For Retail

As part of Intel's IoT Solutions Alliance, Chinese embedded computer maker Giada provides a variety of computer configurations, including thin clients and fat clients, that can be used for smart restaurant and retail applications. That includes computers made specifically for managing digital signs and media players. While Giada does not have a specific channel program for its smart retail applications, the company has channel partners selling its computers for end customers.

Industrial Camera For Machine Vision

Created by edge computing provider Adlink, the MVTec Merlin smart camera is built for quickly deployed machine vision applications in industrial settings, with no need for programming experience. The camera can operate under extreme temperatures, from minus 20 degrees Celsius to 50 degrees. Use cases include digital surveillance and conveyor belt monitoring. The solution, which is part of Intel's IoT RFP Ready Kits program, is available to systems integrators and other kinds of resellers.

CNC Machine Data Collection And Analysis System

Taiwan-based IEI provides a CNC Machine Data Collection and Analysis Automation System that aims to improve the efficiency of machine tool management in factories. The system -- which includes cameras, a professional video management system and IT environmental monitoring -- uses a microserver that relays information via data gateways that connect to the machines. As part of Intel's IoT Market Ready Solutions program, the system promises to improve product quality and the rate of equipment utilization by 15 percent, as well as decreasing the manufacturing cycle by nearly 28 percent.

Intel Secure Device Onboard Service

Launched at last year's IoT Solutions World Congress, Intel's Secure Device Onboard is a service that improves the security and scalability of deploying new connected devices. Available to systems integrators, VARs and other partners, the service provides a single imaging step for zero-touch on-boarding and eliminates bad security practices, such as shipping default passwords.

Aaeon Smart Vending

Made by Intel partner Aaeon, Smart Vending allows vending machine operators to retrofit their equipment with technology that enables cashless payments and uses digital advertising and big data as ways to increase revenue opportunities. The solution, which can be remotely managed, is available through Intel's IoT RFP Ready Kits program.

Wind River Helix Device Cloud

Made by Intel subsidiary Wind River, the Wind River Helix Device Cloud aims to improve industrial Internet of Things development, deployment and management with a device life-cycle management system. The system includes a large library of pre-built device drivers for rapid development, easy integration with third-party analytics and cloud platforms, and all-in-one dashboards for connectivity management. The system is available to systems integrators and other channel partners.

UShop Business Intelligence Solution

UShop is a business intelligence solution that provides analysis of foot traffic, loss prevention and store heatmaps to help retailers improve shopper engagement. Provided by Advantech as part of Intel's IoT Solutions Alliance, UShop's various configurations use public and private cloud servers, 2-D and 3-D smart counting cameras, a Wi-Fi analyzer, point-of-sale systems and a Fisheye IP camera. The solution is available to channel partners.

Intel vPro For Signs And POS

Using Intel's vPro technology, channel partners can help retailers remotely manage and configure digital signs and point-of-sale systems at scale, even when the systems are turned off or aren't working. The company says this can save retailers money on maintenance while also improving security.

Intel Optane

Launched in the second half of last year, Intel's Optane NVMe SSDs are designed to bridge the gap between high-performance DRAM and lower-cost NAND memory. Optane is relevant to a broad set of channel partners and is ultimately poised to be a "multibillion-dollar opportunity for us and our partners," said Shannon Poulin, vice president and general manager of global markets and partners at Intel.

Michael Schwab, co-president of Harrisburg, Pa.-based D&H Distributing, agreed that Optane is a major opportunity for the channel. "Leaving this event, we're going to place big bets on Optane because we see that as one of those catalyst technologies that allows our customers to facilitate great end-user solutions," Schwab said.

Intel Unite

During Intel Partner Connect 2018, Intel showcased its Unite conferencing software, which aims to enable more manageable and secure meetings. The software runs on mini PCs that use Intel vPro processors and offers meetings that are simple to launch, with users only needing to enter a PIN to join. Recent enhancements include the ability to stream video in Intel Unite from Chrome OS devices.

Intel Authenticate 3.0

Intel released version 3.0 of its Authenticate identity protection software in December. Authenticate offers hardware-enhanced security by working in tandem with Intel Core vPro processors and provides multifactor authentication for logging into devices. Factors include Bluetooth proximity (such as proximity to a certain smartphone), fingerprint recognition, PIN and facial recognition, which was just added in version 3.0.

HP Portable SSD P800

This portable drive, manufactured by Biwin and marketed by HP, uses Intel's Thunderbolt 3 technology for rapid data transfer over a USB-C connection. The drive promises to be the fastest way to transfer data to date, with speeds reaching up to 40 GBps, according to Biwin. The HP Portable SSD P800 comes in four capacities -- 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB.

Contec Embedded PC

Using Intel's Compute Card -- which provides computing power in a credit-card-size form factor -- the forthcoming Contec Embedded PC aims to serve as the ultimate modular embedded PC, with the ability to change the compute based on the needs of the moment. The PC offers low power consumption, which is ideal for edge computing, along with high performance from the Compute Card and seventh-gen Intel Core vPro processors. The Contec Embedded PC will be available in the spring.

Datto Siris 3 X1

Designed to run Intel processors, Datto's Siris 3 X1 is an all-flash device that delivers data protection and business continuity while also being cloud-connected. The Siris 3 X1 uses image-based backup to take a complete picture of a source machine, regardless of whether it's Windows, Linux or Mac -- or even if it's physical or virtual. The 3 X1 appliance receives the backup, as does the Datto Cloud, which provides remote data protection and Disaster-Recovery-as-a-Service. The protection can be accomplished in minutes and data can be recovered from the local device or from the cloud.

Synology DS718+

Powered by the Intel Celeron J3455 processor, Synology's DS718+ is a high-performance, high-availability NAS option aimed at small and midsize businesses. The DS718+ is only sold by channel partners and includes recently added features such as Active Directory Server, which enables the NAS to be used for managing accounts and installing system updates.