Internet, "the driving force for TPM activations will come from the Feds." I agree and have been saying this for years, and thanks to folks like cm and Weby, we've been kept abreast of the growing signs that DoD is finally close to activating the TPMs they mandated for inclusion with PC purchases way back in February 2006. Before TPMs could be turned on across the DoD there had to be extensive testing and then construction of a framework (LandWarNet architecture specification for TPM Element Management) to operate and manage a TPM based system.
The DoD has always had the single greatest need for strong authentication, specifically built around machine authentication and the compliments of NAC, and thus the greatest motivation to engineer and validate a paradigm shift to hardware based network security. It became increasingly apparent over time that Wave and TCG attempts to push/pull the corporate IT world into TPM adoption would be fruitless as long as traditional software based authentication, controlled by industry incumbents, was adequate. Why else go to the trouble of switching? Why should they bother to rock their comfortable boats?
It has taken over three years to get to this point, but it's fairly clear now the government knows it doesn't have the luxury of keeping the software status quo for network authentication when they're being constantly bombarded by intruders from around the globe.
Once we see the evidence that DoD will indeed implement a plan to roll out a security platform based on the TPM, iTPM and Broadcom USH, government contractors like Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, General Dynamics and a multitude of others will need to follow suit if they wish to maintain their current levels of DoD network access. Then it will be just a matter of time before hardware based machine authentication is accepted by the masses of IT managers who up to now have been content with 'adequate' protection in a world where 'adequate' is becoming increasingly inadequate.
And Wave? They should be in the catbird seat once this gets rolling.
AI
