Daniel Smith began using Linux in 1997, building Linux-based endpoint security solutions in 2004 and contributing to the OpenXT virtualization platform in 2014, later serving as release manager for OpenXT 7.0. He developed the first open-source implementation of DRTM forward sealing, enabling unattended OTA update of Trusted/Measured Boot products based on OpenXT. In 2018, he launched the TrenchBoot project to make hardware-assisted boot integrity more accessible to the operating system and hypervisor developers. As Chief Technologist of Apertus Solutions, he advocates for robust open-source foundations in architectures that meet complex public sector security requirements.