Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption

This article covers Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption on college-owned employee devices.

 

Audience

• Faculty & Staff

Windows BitLocker

• BitLocker is a Windows tool that encrypts the drive of a computer to ensure that data is protected in case a device is lost or stolen. At Central Piedmont, employee Windows laptops are set up with BitLocker, requiring no extra steps from users. 
• BitLocker uses the TPM (Trusted Platform Module) chip to check for hardware tampering at start up of the computer. If the TPM chip doesn’t match or indicates tampering, Windows won’t boot normally, and a recovery key will be needed to access the drive. 
• If prompted for a BitLocker recovery key on a college device, contact the ITS Service Desk. 
• To check if BitLocker is enabled, click the Start Menu button, type "BitLocker" and click Manage BitLocker. "Windows BitLocker on" will display if Bitlocker is enabled.