Phoenix Technology Goes Beyond BIOS

BIOS software vendor Phoenix Technologies has introduced new system software that the company says will improve security and manageability for networked systems.

The new technology, called Core System Software, will be incorporated first on notebook motherboards available to system builders in January. Server and desktop motherboards are slated to follow by the end of the first quarter, said Timothy Eades, senior vice president of corporate marketing and product division at the Milpitas, Calif.-based company.

"We're trying to provide better tools and better solutions to the system builders to create better brands and lower their support costs," Eades said. "[That way] they can differentiate themselves in the market."

Phoenix's new technology, Core System Software, addresses many of BIOS' shortcomings.

For the past 20 years, BIOS has been designed for compatibility with stand-alone PC devices, and little has been done to address network connectivity or security, Eades said. "This [software] is an evolution beyond BIOS; BIOS won't take us through the next 20 years," he said.

Core System Software, which Phoenix unveiled late last month, is built around Device-Networked Architecture (d-NA), a framework of interoperable software building blocks, and addresses many of BIOS' shortcomings.

The family of products that incorporate d-NA will be branded Phoenix TrustedCore products, the first of which will be targeted at notebooks, Eades said.

Phoenix's d-NA addresses issues that are important to system builders, such as manageability, connectivity and usability, he said. Standard manageability features of the new software include self-management, self-healing and self-authentication.

In addition, the software has the capability to provide an always-on live connection to operating system and network services and standards, including TCP/IP and XML, Eades said.

The software has unique recovery capabilities as well, so it can allow a notebook without a floppy disk drive, for example, to boot from a USB device, he said.

The architecture also gives system builders and solution providers the ability to place their logos on computer screens, replacing the Phoenix name or Intel's, so they can make their brands more prominent to customers.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for system builders to look at different ways to support their [systems]," Eades said. "[They can also] add value around systems and create a better brand."