In the Age of AI, Resilience Starts in Firmware

AI is transforming both business operations and cyber threats. As organizations embrace hybrid work and AI-driven tools, critical endpoints increasingly operate beyond the traditional network perimeter. In this environment, security that can be disabled, removed or bypassed is no longer enough. Organizations need endpoint resilience: the ability to keep security controls active, effective and recoverable across every device, regardless of location or compromise.

That is exactly what Dell and Absolute Security deliver together.

The resilience gap hiding in plain sight

Most organizations invest heavily in endpoint security. Antivirus, EDR, VPN, encryption, zero-trust network access — the stack is deep. Yet published research continues to show a troubling reality: security controls decay over time. According to the 2026 Absolute Resilience Risk Index, telemetry across tens of millions of enterprise endpoints found that endpoint security software fails about 20% of the time, leaving devices outside a fully protected and enforceable state for the equivalent of 76 days per year, while endpoint vulnerability management out-of-compliance rose from 20% to 24% year over year.

And when resilience breaks down, the operational impact is severe. In The Resilient CISO: The State of Enterprise Cyber Resilience, an independent Censuswide survey of 750 enterprise CISOs, 55% said they experienced an incident in the past 12 months that rendered endpoint devices inoperable, none recovered business operations within a day and most faced nearly five days of downtime.

Together, these findings highlight a persistent resilience gap. Closing it requires more than additional software. It requires security anchored below the operating system itself.

Built in from the start

Dell builds the world’s most secure commercial PCs,¹ and our partnership with Absolute Security extends that security promise with a resilience layer embedded directly into the BIOS.

Absolute Persistence is a patented technology embedded in Dell commercial devices’ firmware. Because it operates below the OS, it survives reimages, drive replacements and attempts to disable security controls. If critical tools such as encryption, VPN or EDR agents fail, Persistence can automatically restore them, helping organizations maintain protection without hands-on IT intervention.

This is not an aftermarket add-on. Through Dell Custom Factory Integration (CFI), Absolute Persistence is activated during the manufacturing process, so devices arrive secure from the moment they leave the factory. This supply-chain-level integration helps ensure that resilience is present from day one, reducing the risk introduced during provisioning and deployment and giving IT teams confidence that every device in their fleet starts with a verified security foundation.

Security that ships on the box

Dell makes it straightforward for enterprise, midsize and government customers to purchase and deploy Absolute Security solutions alongside their commercial PC fleet. Absolute Secure Endpoint and Absolute Secure Access are available on the box — meaning they can be selected at the point of purchase for individual devices — and by volume for larger fleet deployments.

• • • • Absolute Secure Endpoint provides persistent visibility and control over every device in your fleet. IT teams can monitor device health, track security tool compliance, freeze or wipe compromised devices remotely and ensure critical applications like antivirus and encryption remain installed and functional.
    • • Absolute Secure Access delivers resilient zero-trust network access (ZTNA) that maintains secure connectivity for remote and hybrid workers. Unlike traditional VPN solutions, it provides granular, policy-based access to applications without backhauling traffic through a central data center — and because it is underpinned by Persistence, the connection self-heals if disrupted or tampered with.

     

Together, these solutions close the gap between security intent and security reality.

Visibility down to the BIOS

Endpoint resilience starts with visibility. Dell commercial PCs offer something found nowhere else: below-the-OS security telemetry that gives administrators real-time insight into BIOS and firmware security health through the Dell Trusted Device Application (DTD).

Combined with Absolute Secure Endpoint, this BIOS-level integration creates a persistent connection that enables IT teams to monitor device health, verify critical security controls, locate missing assets and remotely freeze or wipe compromised devices. Because visibility is anchored in firmware, it persists through reimaging, factory resets, drive replacements and other events that often disrupt software-based security tools.

Why resilience matters more in the age of AI

AI is raising the stakes on both sides of the security equation. Organizations adopting AI-driven tools are generating new data flows, connecting new services and increasing the value of the endpoints that access them. Meanwhile, AI-powered threats are growing faster and more adaptive.

In this environment, static security is a liability. Federal organizations need persistent visibility and control over mission-critical endpoints, even when devices are operating off-network in the field. Financial services organizations need to mitigate the risk of costly downtime, protect sensitive financial data and maintain continuous regulatory compliance. Healthcare organizations need self-healing controls on shared clinical endpoints to protect patient data and maintain care continuity without adding friction for care teams.

Across every scenario, the requirement is the same: security that endures — automatically and without manual intervention. Dell and Absolute Security deliver on that requirement — not as an afterthought, but as an integrated part of how Dell commercial PCs are built, shipped and managed.

A smarter starting point for endpoint resilience

No solution eliminates every risk, but firmware-embedded resilience changes the endpoint security equation. Rather than hoping critical protections remain operational, organizations can continuously verify and restore them. In an AI-driven world, resilience starts below the operating system and remains active throughout the device lifecycle.

If you are evaluating how to strengthen your security posture for an AI-driven world, the answer is not just adding more tools to the stack. It is making sure the tools you already have can never be silently removed. Upgrade to the world’s most secure commercial PCs¹ — with built-in resilience that heals itself. Explore Absolute Secure Endpoint and Absolute Secure Access for Dell commercial PCs. Contact your rep or reach out to our security specialists to learn more.