Strengthening enterprise applications using trusted platform modules

Abstract

Although millions of laptops and desktops are shipped with Trusted Platform Module chips, the corporate IT buyer has only recently become aware of TPM's existence and its strong cryptographic features. TPM allows enterprises to harden their enterprise applications through email and document signing, data confidentiality protection, VPN infrastructure, and machine identities. A good TPM implementation uses tamper-resistant hardware as a means to protect it against physical attacks, and it represents a root of trust that is a prerequisite for all trustworthy systems. Thomas Hardjono of Wave Systems explores the security benefits of the TPM. Millions of digital transactions are done each day by consumers and businesses. With the advent of wireless availability in many coffee shops or hotels, strong security solutions are critical. Recipients need to be able to trust the identity of participants, content authenticity, and system integrity.