1. A method comprising: executing pre-boot instructions stored in a system component having non-volatile memory configured to execute the pre-boot instructions independent of a host system processor; invoking, with the system component having non-volatile memory an instruction to cause a host computing platform to enter a known, secure state; copying one or more software components from a storage device to a system memory prior to launching an operating system, wherein the one or more components include a secure virtual machine monitor (SVMM); configuring a device-access page table and a device-access logic to protect memory pages used by the memory-resident SVMM from interference by non-processor devices to create a secure virtual machine environment, wherein the secure virtual machine environment hosts the SVMM to operate as a privileged code to permit or deny direct access to one or more system resources by the operating system or one or more software applications within the created secure virtual machine environment; calculating an identity of the SVMM, and registering the identity into a register, wherein registering includes placing a trust measurement of the SVMM into a register such that trustworthiness of the SVMM is made available for inspection by a potential system user; launching the operating system with the system component from the known, secure state; and causing the host computing platform to execute the operating system in a run time state.