Why PC Security Starts With Dell And Intel

Security threats are accelerating as AI-driven attacks grow and customers expect systems to stay online. CRNtv host Kena Johnson speaks with Sarah Wieskus, general manager of commercial client and datacenter sales at Intel, about what solution providers need to know as security, recovery and performance converge at the PC level.

Kena Johnson: Partners say security incidents are happening faster and at a larger scale. When they tell the Dell and Intel security story, what should they leave customers with around secure BIOS and Secure Core?

Sarah Wieskus: I always start by putting myself in the shoes of the attacker. That’s not how we have historically framed these conversations. We usually lead with the technology in the platform, and that matters. But attackers have become very good at manipulating software. What makes Dell and Intel different is the focus on software below the operating system. Attackers are trying to get to firmware and BIOS. That’s why Dell, Intel and Microsoft are so focused on secure core BIOS. It’s about masking that layer so attackers can’t get below the OS and take control.

Kena Johnson: Intel’s latest platform security report is based on public vulnerability data. How does that help partners build confidence with customers?

Sarah Wieskus: Partners need to talk about outcomes. One way we measure outcome is how we track vulnerabilities and patching using public sources. We run a bug bounty program where attackers test our systems, we publish what they find and we patch it. When you look at the report, Intel’s nearest competitor had seven times more vulnerabilities than we did in the firmware hardware root of trust in 2025 and left dozens of SKUs unpatched. The data is public. That transparency helps customers understand the real impact of platform security.

Kena Johnson: High-profile incidents like the Stryker attack show how disruptive these events can be. How should partners use examples like that when talking about recovery?

Sarah Wieskus: You can’t have a security conversation without talking about recovery. Detection, protection and recovery all matter. In the Stryker case, attackers wiped about 200,000 PCs across dozens of countries. Employees were sent home. With something like Intel vPro, recovery could have happened in days or even hours. We saw something similar with the CrowdStrike outage in 2024. PCs go down for many reasons. You need a disaster recovery plan for mission-critical devices.

Kena Johnson: When partners talk about AI PCs, how do they explain that AI strengthens security but also gives attackers new tools?

Sarah Wieskus: There has always been a balance between productivity and security. More scanning and more agents put stress on systems. AI helps productivity, but it also makes attackers more sophisticated. That’s why platform-level security matters. We use AI analytics at the hardware and silicon level to help detect, protect and recover without slowing users down.

To learn more about how Dell and Intel are working together to help partners strengthen PC security and recovery, visit Dell and Intel online.