Intel CIRA enables out-of-band management

Out-of-band management

In computing, out-of-band management involves the use of a dedicated management channel for device maintenance...

 systems, such as Intel AMT. It is intended to enable centralized corporate management and administration of laptops that are not attached to the corporate LAN

Local area network

A local area network is a computer network that interconnects computers in a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, or office building...

, but rather are located off-site (homes, hotels, etc.). Because off-site systems will typically be behind a firewall, there is no way for the corporate administrator to directly find the machine. Thus, instead, the system (the 'client') will initiate a connection to the corporate administration server; the server can then use this connection to admin the machine.

The system is implemented in firmware, and is meant to enable administration resources such as Intel AMT and Intel vPro

Intel vPro

Intel vPro technology is computer hardware technology to allow remote access to the PC independent of the state of the operating system or power state of the PC. It consists of a set of features built into a PC's motherboard and other hardware...

. It is primarily used in HP's EliteBook model line.