Microsoft has published an extensive article dedicated to TPM 2.0 in Windows where highlights this secure platform module currently and in the future of their operating systems. It also explains its main features, the security challenges it addresses, and ways IT administrators can check the status of the feature.

So far so good. The point is that Microsoft is “selling” this as a way to prepare for the end of Windows 10 support, the migration to Windows 11, and the potential purchase of new PCs, since a large number of current PCs do not support this or others require taxes to run Windows 11. Yes , more of the same. We’ve lost count of the dozens of articles we’ve had to write about Windows 11’s minimum hardware requirements. We’ve also covered a large number of methods to work around those requirements and the consequences of installing the system on unsupported computers.

And that’s been a problem since Windows 11 launched three years ago. It didn’t help chaotic management from Microsoft itself, speeding up or slowing down the obligation to comply with this problem, because the interest has become due to the sword of Damocles represented by the very high market share that Windows 10 still has In November it grew again, breaking the six-month trend. Which is worrying.

TPM 2.0 on Windows 11 and later

Leaving aside Microsoft’s commercial interests, that Windows 11 is a version that will go through more pain than glory, that many think that the hardware requirements were artificially imposed, and that the management, when it comes to enforcing them, was a little less chaotic. it is worth recognizing that the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is an essential tool for combating today’s security risks and for ensuring the risks of the future. Microsoft assures that TPM 2.0 in Windows is a “non-negotiable standard” for the future of their operating systems, so the requirement is not expected to decrease even though fewer machines may be running them.

You already know that TPM can be implemented using a dedicated chip that is purchased separately or, more commonly, as firmware integrated into the PC motherboard. TPM name (Trusted Platform Module) already indicates its purpose, as it is responsible for storing encryption keys, passwords, certificates and other sensitive data. Security solutions based on hardware and softwarewhich provides sufficient security protection and is not vulnerable to physical or logical attacks, as is the case with pure software solutions.

Microsoft is reviewing what it is considering the real benefits of its implementationsuch as improvements to cryptographic standards, separation of cryptographic and storage processes from the main processor, and better integration with other Windows 11 security features such as Credential Guard and Windows Hello. TPM 2.0 is also used to handle BitLocker encryption keys (in Windows 11 version 24H2, BitLocker is enabled by default for all users); Secure boot, which ensures that the operating system you are trying to boot has not been tampered with, and multi-factor authentication, which becomes an essential part of global security.

The company says TPM 2.0 also helps future-proof Windows. One way is to help protect sensitive information as more AI capabilities come into physical, cloud and server architectures. «By introducing TPM 2.0 as a non-negotiable standard for the future of Windowswe increase the level of security. This will allow you and us to better align with the growing need for formidable data protection in the modern digital realm.”concludes Microsoft in this review of TPM 2.0 in Windows. If you are interested, you can find more information in the Microsoft Techcommunity.