As AI processing shifts closer to the endpoint, it’s time to rethink the traditional approach to hardware refresh cycles. For business leaders, the decision should be motivated by the need to build a resilient and secure enterprise foundation for the era of decentralised AI.
With support for some legacy operating systems ending, organisations that have not yet refreshed their hardware risk being left behind. While it is tempting to think updating just means faster processors and sleeker designs, the current refresh cycle represents a critical security upgrade as much as an OS or hardware migration. Investing in modern, AI-capable PCs is now essential in building a more secure, productive and resilient foundation for organisations.
The rationale for the hardware refresh is already shifting. Given the rise in news stories of high-profile cyber breaches, security is now front of mind for many business leaders. In a time when many have already dealt with cybersecurity attacks or breaches, adopting a security-first hardware strategy is vital for their organisations in withstanding sophisticated, AI-driven threats.
Small language models on the rise
That begins with the small language model (SLM). These bite-sized AI models, optimised for local execution, are redefining how businesses think about the value of generative AI more broadly, shifting the focus from cloud dependency to secure, device-level intelligence. The primary benefit of a localised approach is its ability to manage confidential tasks, such as examining private legal documents or patient records, to ensure the information remains within the PC’s secure boundaries. Modern AI PCs are also purpose-built to run these models, enabling a new generation of secure AI applications with minimal delay.
The conventional approach of processing AI workloads in the cloud establishes a broad and vulnerable security perimeter. By contrast, the integration of specialised neural processing units (NPUs) in modern AI PCs supports demanding processing tasks locally at the endpoint. This helps ensure that sensitive information never leaves the protected environment of the device itself. In turn, this reduces the potential for breaches, providing enhanced data sovereignty and aiding compliance with rigorous data protection mandates.
The hidden risks of ageing hardware
Extending the lifespan of existing devices might appear financially prudent, but it can also introduce a substantial and frequently overlooked security liability. Although software updates can remediate known threats, they are unable to overcome inherent architectural constraints in dated hardware.
Previous generations of equipment were not engineered to handle the rigorous security requirements of today’s AI-driven environment. Running advanced software on such outdated systems not only hinders performance but also exposes the organisations to significant, unmitigated security gaps. NPUs, for example, are essential for executing AI tasks securely and efficiently at the endpoint. Modern operating systems are also built with a security-first philosophy and offer features like a Trusted Platform Module 2.0 to create a foundational hardware-based trust.
Establishing a hardware-based security posture
In a zero-trust environment, upgrading hardware is an opportunity to standardise on devices with built-in security, giving employees tools that deliver both high performance and protection against emerging threats. Even before login, these systems can, for example, verify BIOS and firmware integrity at the hardware level to ensure the device hasn’t been compromised. Advances like this make life easier for both IT teams and employees by offering seamless updates, fewer disruptions and a more intuitive and consistent user experience.
To adopt a genuine security-first approach, leadership must re-evaluate its PC fleet from this new perspective, so the AI PC fleet can move beyond being a productivity tool and serve as a cornerstone of an agile, progressive security strategy.
Louise Quennell is a senior director at Dell Technologies’ UK Client Solutions Group
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