attcav, feigned humility ...
I really have no idea what the end game is or even the end game plan is for Wave. But such humility is boring.
Regarding MSFT wrappers and grandma competing I would argue it is not this way.
IT comes in layers. At the bottom are the INTCs and the ARMs, on that sits the OS. At the top is productivity software, Autocad e.g. In between MSFT and Autocad there is lots of utility or enabling stuff. MSFT does the OS and some productivity software (Word, Visio e.g.) They make alot of coin on productivity software and OSs, ... the real cash cow is Office.
Wave is doing two things. First they are managing TPMs and the TPM aware appliance, the opal SED. "Managing." What managing ultimately means is enabling TPM functionality, enabling the leveraging of TPMs ... for PwC, for Seagate, for anybody (grandma included).
It does not appear that MSFT is entertaining key management, backup, escrow, or any sort of server administration of TPMs ... as I see it. I think a wrapper would make it easier for grandma to build ERAS, but again as ERAS presumably aims to administer not just MSFT-OS systems but Droids and automobiles, grandma may struggle.
The second thing Wave is doing (enabling the leveraging of TPMs by anybody being the first) is to actually leverage the TPM themselves. Wave wanted to leverage TPM-like functionality in the past (WaveDirect, FinREAD, Xpress) and failed. Wave clearly still envisions applications that leverage the enabled infractructure that they are currently trying to make money helping to build. Esign, and the whole trusted applet space (E2/trustzone). Arguably this is just another version of enabling (allowing applet developers to make, deploy and manage applets). In this case Esign may be thought of as an applet couples to an archiving service.
Wave has tried to create an applet infractructure leveraging TPM-like devices in the past, and failed. They have tried to create a broadcast digital distribution system conceived to leverage TPM-like devices, and failed.
Presumably they are at it again. As that window opens they WILL dump resources into it with abandon. Their track record on this sucks. They will concurrently with some lead time on the GANNT chart continue to develop their TPM management-enabling server platform to embrace all devices (including the bazillions that are not MSFT driven).
End game?
1)They succeed or fail at becoming the standard TPM manager for MSFT platforms. This area looks promising.
2)They succeed or fail at extending to the non-MSFT world. Chrome doesn't use Wave, hybrid networks may want to co-manage MSFT and GOOG devices, the path this way is unclear to me, and then there is all those phones and cars. They are certainly focused on this. The phone world is fractured, dynamic, and up for grabs.
3)Do to their proximity to the issue they continue to produce security products, the latest endpoint thingy being an example. There is and will be tremendous competition in this space. I expect them to lose this battle. I expect Endpoint-like products 5 years from to have brands like MFE and SYMC. The degree with which Wave will be integrated into NAC appliances is very fuzzy.
4) They succeed or fail to claim a critical role in Trustzone-like trusted applet execution platforms. They have a storied past in this area. Where's Trusted Logic in all this? Is Wave's patent worth poop in the face of others' bazillions of patents? I'm skeptical.
So, on balance I think the end game is for Wave to try, get cornered, and sell for a billion or so. I am very skeptical current management will read the writing on the wall should the get cornered.
The current leaders at Wave include a BS in ?, a BA, and a bunch of scientists and engineers who have variable taken some management stuff or otherwise been managers. (as memory serves a BS-EE, a MS-EE, a BS-Physics, a BS-ME, and PhD in?, a BS in ? and a BA, I think the Euroguy is an MBA).
Something like that.
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