Patent ID: 8918641

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving a request at a manageability engine in a platform from a service provider's remote server to activate a feature of the platform coupled to said manageability engine; in response to said request, requesting in a secure fashion, proof of the service provider's authority to modify the platform including a certificate from a permit server that this service provider is authorized by a manufacturer of the manageability engine to use the platform feature; checking the certificate to prevent another service provider from using the platform feature; sending a request for verification of the service provider's authority to use the feature of the platform coupled to a processor; verifying that the service provider is authorized by a manufacturer of the processor to use the feature; activating the feature only for use by the service provider; and requesting, said proof using a cryptographic scheme enabling remote authentication of hardware devices, while preserving a privacy of a device owner, and using an embedded private key within said manageability engine to indicate that the service provider is certified by the manufacturer of the manageability engine.