When Microsoft initially introduced the concept of trusted computing via hardware enforcement of the cryptographic integrity of the operating system in the early 2000s there was a massive outcry which set the Trusted Computing initiative back a decade, and let malware and rootkits run free on the operating system.
The growth of smartphones, which came with this technology from the start, has given Microsoft the opportunity to try again, and with Windows Vista we once again saw the introduction of support for hardware signing of the OS via the Trusted Platform Module, an industry standard which safely stores the hardware keys which ensures secure boot and that the operating system you use has not been compromised along the way. The feature is an important part of Bitlocker.
