Replies to post #240716 on Wave Systems Corp. (fka WAVXQ)

[aleajactaest]

hi mmbg,

i think the bring-your-own-device model suggests otherwise. or put another way, i think the mobile market suggests otherwise. or put another way, folks actually use several sorts of device to attach to a network.

it is rare for folks to employ non-ms personal computing devices within an enterprise (because windows is still pc-dominant) and about equally as rare for folks to use windows mobile devices to do things like accessing their email (because android and apple dominate mobile).

if an enterprise wants to have a single trust data security model, then a multi-os service makes decent sense.

that's one part of the argument.

another is that folks like credit card companies and banks that deal with money also don't necessarily want powerful software providers inside their kimono. so again, a new player makes sense.

another is that hard drive people like seagate and chip people like intel don't always have common interests and in the case of seds, wave can help the hard drive companies avoid being dependent on chipzilla.

so far, however, the argument hasn't taken in a way that delivers revenue.

[RootOfTrust]

I know in my workplace and in my spouses' workplace when an upgrade is made its across the board for machines-no mixing of OS because all of the software that is used within that business must be compatible among all machines. Not having an extensive knowledge of the how's or why's, I also know that folks that work from home also have PC's or laptops that are compatible with what is being used at work so they can remote access from home, at least in my experience.

Windows still dominates the enterprise PC computing market. There is some Mac and Wave products support it although Mac doesn't have TPMs, however Wave will support them should they show up.

As for mobile devices, many enterprise have now deployed Mobile Device Management (MDM) creating an environment where their mobile devices have a different management infrastructure than do their PCs, in turn creating a scenario where it's feasible to deploy a TPM-based authentication platform for PCs and maintain their non-TPM platform for mobiles such as smartphones.


I think the interoperability may have been oversold, especially now with the major OS providing tools to manage the TPM.

OS's don't manage the TPM, not Windows, not Google, not any of them, at least not for the end user. You're confusing OS's implementing TPMs in the OS with managing TPMs for the end user be it an individual or in a multi-user domain (e.g. an enterprise network). I'm not aware that Windows implements it's own TPM by taking ownership of it. Traditionally, the TCG requires ownership of the TPM to be taken by an end user (e.g. device owner e.g of a PC) in order to activate it. It does seem in Chrome Books that the OS implements the TPM for it's own security purposes thus taking it's own ownership of the TPM with no involvement or control of the device's end user/owner. Chrome Books would thus require a second TPM for the end user/device owner. Windows devices have only one TPM and only the PC owner can take ownership of it. Actually for Windows Phone that might be different ie. the MNO could play a role in ownership in TPM Mobile.


The questions for me are these. If a business entity regardless of size is using one operating system, how are you going to sell them on the benefit of using wave when they don't even know who they are?

To achieve a better undersatnding of the TPM play Solms and team are attempting, I suggest folks google "2013 Gartner Magic Quadrant for User Authentication". There can be found a pdf of the entire Gartner report which describes in detail the market within which Wave's VSC 2.0 competes. The "Magic Quadrant Leaders" are among Wave's main competitors.