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Intel's WfM (Wired for Management) initiative seeks to raise the level of management capabilities for mobile, desktop, and server platforms. It complements Microsoft's ZAWS (Zero Administration for Windows) initiative, which helps administrators manage operating systems and applications. Together, WfM and ZAWS are designed to provide an environment for planning, deploying, and managing distributed computing environments.

According to Intel, WfM defines a baseline set of requirements for managing hardware, including requirements for instrumentation, remote wake-up, power management, and service boot capability. It enables centralized system management, including inventory, fix/repair, configuration, and diagnostics, and provides for off-hours maintenance to minimize downtime. WfM includes support for DMI, as described under "DMI (Distributed Management Interface)." WfM would allow a technician to diagnose and upgrade a remote system while the user of that system continues working on other tasks. It also allows software upgrades in the background or during scheduled hours.

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