Principled Technologies says Dell leads on below-the-OS PC security

Principled Technologies compared Dell, HP and Lenovo business PCs with Intel vPro and found Dell had the broadest support for below-the-OS security and system management features. The research matters because firmware and hardware attacks are getting harder to stop with traditional endpoint tools.

Why it matters: - Firmware and hardware attacks can bypass traditional endpoint security tools. - Enterprises are putting more weight on below-the-OS protection, device attestation and fleetwide visibility. - The findings position Dell PCs with Intel vPro as stronger options for organizations focused on resilience, compliance and risk reduction.

What happened: - Principled Technologies conducted independent research comparing Dell, HP and Lenovo PCs powered by Intel Core Ultra processors with Intel vPro. - The analysis focused on below-the-operating-system security and firmware protection. - PT reviewed publicly available original equipment manufacturer documentation. - The report found Dell fully supports all 10 security features evaluated. - HP fully supports one feature and partially supports three. - Lenovo fully supports two features and partially supports one more.

The details: - The 10 capabilities evaluated included signed factory configuration manifests, quantum-resistant signing updates for the embedded security controller, BIOS and Embedded Controller, and on-demand BIOS verification via off-host measurements. - The list also covered Intel Management Engine firmware verification, BIOS image capture for forensic analysis, early attack sequence detection, CVE detection and remediation, user credential storage using dedicated hardware, hardware-assisted security with Dell, Intel and CrowdStrike, and below-the-OS telemetry integration. - Dell Secured Component Verification on Cloud keeps the verification pipeline in-house through Dell cloud infrastructure. - Dell says that approach preserves the root of trust and gives 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 and off-host Intel Management Engine firmware verification against known-good references stored in Dell cloud infrastructure. - Those capabilities support remote device attestation and align with Zero Trust security architectures and compliance requirements. - Dell Trusted Device integrates with CrowdStrike Falcon and surfaces BIOS verification results, Indicators of Attack, Intel ME firmware verification, CVE detection and Secured Component Verification telemetry inside Falcon. - Dell and CrowdStrike developed more than 60 custom indicators of compromise for Dell infrastructure. - Dell ControlVault 3+ achieved FIPS 140-3 level 3 certification, the highest credential security level among the OEMs evaluated.

Between the lines: - The report suggests Dell is pushing security management deeper into the hardware stack, where competitors appear to have less complete coverage. - The cloud-based verification model may be especially attractive to large IT teams that want remote attestation without building extra infrastructure. - The Dell-Intel-CrowdStrike integration points to a broader strategy of tying device security directly into endpoint detection and response workflows.

What's next: - Organizations evaluating business PCs are likely to weigh these below-the-OS capabilities more heavily as firmware-targeted attacks grow. - The Principled Technologies report is available as the full research report.