1. A system comprising: a trusted platform module (TPM); at least one application configured to send one or more requests to said TPM; and a hardware based security module coupled to said TPM, said security module configured to perform cryptographic processing and to provide long-term storage of cryptographic keys and cryptographic state information on behalf of said TPM, wherein said TPM is configured to access said security module over a secure communication connection using one or more layers of a network protocol stack when a cryptographic operation requiring at least one of said cryptographic keys or said cryptographic state information is required by said one or more requests, and wherein said TPM is configured to circumvent said one or more layers of said network protocol stack to access said security module during a secure boot process to retrieve said cryptographic state information.