- Snapdragon Guardian expands PC control beyond Wi-Fi with built-in cellular connection
- Always-on Access raises new questions about privacy and control of devices
- Adoption may depend on balancing technical benefits with confidence and transparency
Handling and securing the growing number of connected PCs becomes more difficult as cyberattacks and data violations continue to rise.
Qualcomm places its new Snapdragon Guardian platform as a rival to Intel’s widely used VPRO system and offers out-of-band management and security features designed for PCs.
Unlike conventional approaches, Guardian works even when devices are turned on, offline or unexplained.
Snapdragon X2 Elite
The technology debuts in the upcoming Snapdragon X2 Elite platform and combines hardware, firmware and cloud services.
Qualcomm says Guardian is compatible with existing IT management systems and can scale from individual users to entire fleets.
Guardian’s dependence on built-in cellular connection is what sets it apart from other solutions that by integrating 4G, 5G and Wi-Fi 7 modema directly into the platform, devices can be tracked, updated and even dried remotely without relying on Wi-Fi.
For IT teams, this means management continues, even when laptops are off or disconnected.
Security Teams warn of non -managed or unprotected devices, with some studies suggesting that most ransomware -attacks begin from final points outside that supervision. Outside of tape control can close this hole, but the Guardian is expanding the model beyond the local network.
Qualcomm also highlights Guardian’s ability to support features such as geofencing, location tracking and remote control.
These are managed via a new web and app-based dashboard aimed at simplifying the supervision.
The system can be used by businesses, smaller companies and even individual consumers seeking better theft protection.
However, a device that remains available even when it is inevitably sent out, the questions of privacy and user control. Yes, Guardian could oversee it more effectively, but then there is still the question of who has access and under what circumstances.
With Guardian, Qualcomm examines new ways of mixing with security here, but for companies to adopt the platforms such as VPRO will not only come down to technical performance but also where concern for data access and trust is processed.
