Microsoft BitLocker Reviews and Pricing

Systems Analyst at a tech company with 10,001+ employees

Aug 1, 2013

TrueCrypt vs Bitlocker

BitLocker uses your computer's TPM device, if it has one. If it does not, you'll be forced to use a USB memory stick to keep your key on. You can choose to use the USB option instead of the TPM. - Pro for TPM - easy to use. turn the PC on and it's ready to use. - Con for TPM - windows is super easy to get into even when a password is used. attacker can steal your whole computer and get into your system if they know what they're doing. it's not an advanced attack. - Pro for USB - take the drive with you wherever you go, attacker can't get in if you shutdown your PC when you leave your place. - Con for USB - if you lose the drive, you lose the key. you could, of course, print the key and keep it in a fireproof box. if you leave the USB drive with the PC, then it's like the "Con for TPM" scenario. [tin-foil-hat] "We have been able to provide police, law enforcement, and private investigators with a tool that allows bypassing BitLocker encryption for seized computers.” source: http://www.thetechherald.com/articles/New-software-will-break-BitLocker-encryption/8538/ [/tin-foil-hat] edit: Volume-level encryption, which BitLocker employs and so can TrueCrypt (in addition to containers and partition-level encryption), is not as good as Full Disk Encryption, but still good. The most popular use of TrueCrypt is creating encrypted containers within unencrypted (or encrypted) partitions. - Pro's to TrueCrypt - it's vetted and regarded as one of the best platforms to use. good, long passwords stored in your brain are hard to brute force. - Con's to TrueCrypt - don't forget your password. theoretically, and especially if a short password is in use, the container can be brute-forced fairly easily. Longer passwords are better than more complicated passwords when it comes to encrypted containers. (see *However* below) *However* TrueCrypt also supports the use of keyfiles, which means you can create an encrypted volume, partition, or container, store the keyfile on a USB memory stick, and store a good, long password in your brain. the container in this scenario can't be brute-forced without the keyfile, but you need the keyfile and the corresponding password to unlock the container.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

it_user1122

Infrastructure Expert at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Jul 11, 2012

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User friendly encryption solution

Pros and Cons

"From my own personal experience, Bitlocker is one of the easier ways to encrypt a drive."

"Any software encryption will take up additional space on your hard drive or storage device, and Bitlocker is no exception."

Valuable Features:

Bitlocker has its good points, mainly that its included in Windows and it encrypts an entire drive, regardless of the type of drive or its location (internal or external) in the system. Bitlocker also works with TPM keys and chips to add a hardware component to the encryption.

Room for Improvement:

Any software encryption will take up additional space on your hard drive or storage device, and Bitlocker is no exception. Also, Bitlocker is only available on Windows 7 Ultimate and Enterprise editions, not Professional which most small and medium business users use.

Other Advice:

From my own personal experience, Bitlocker is one of the easier ways to encrypt a drive. The inclusion of TPM and hardware support is a definite plus, as it allows it to work with smart cards and PIV cards from a government perspective.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

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it_user1035

Developer at a tech vendor with 51-200 employees

Jun 29, 2012

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A simple tool, but very useful to secure data

Pros and Cons

"Bitlocker is a very user friendly tool, which can encrypt our data within a few clicks."

"It comes only with the Windows Ultimate and Enterprise editions, so the users who use other editions cannot use this tool."

Valuable Features:

1. Very easy to use. It can be done in a few steps in a wizard. 2. It is a free product that comes with Microsoft Windows. 3. It encrypts your whole drive, no matter if it is external or internal. 4. Recovery files can either be saved to a drive or printed to a paper.

Room for Improvement:

1. It is available for Microsoft Windows Ultimate and Enterprise editions only. 2. It takes a long time to encrypt and decrypt a drive.Bitlocker is a very user friendly tool, which can encrypt our data within a few clicks. There is no hard work to do. Because of that, I prefer to use it. It has no big steps and is also a very light tool. A major thing is that it is a free tool that comes with Microsoft Windows.

Other Advice:

As a student, I use flash drives frequently. Sometimes my colleagues borrow my flash and could potentially delete my important data. By encrypting my flash drive, I can avoid it. However, there are still a few problems with it. It comes only with the windows Ultimate and Enterprise editions, so the users who use other editions cannot use this tool. It takes a long time to encrypt a drive.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

it_user4401Developer at a transportation company with 1,001-5,000 employees

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Mar 9, 2013

Bitlocker ties user's hard disk to his laptop and it encrypts the data on the disk using software AES encryption on the fly. If he has a TPM, this is used for key storage. However he can enable it without a TPM and use a USB flash drive to effectively 'unlock' the unit.

it_user1011

Manager of Data Center at a insurance company with 51-200 employees

Jun 26, 2012

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Bitlocker made us believe that having physical possession of a system is not total possession of the data.

Pros and Cons

"There is no fear of losing my job as a result of unauthorized access to my flash drives, and any other drives."

"Although drive encryption could be running in the background, it took a long time to encrypt a drive."

Valuable Features:

1. Bitlocker is easy to use. You start the wizard by right-clicking the drive and selecting “Turn on Bitlocker”. 2. Bitlocker encrypts the content of any drive and makes your data secure and safe. 3. The option of using either strong passphrase or smartcard to encrypt/decrypt the drive bring flexibility in terms of choice 4. Bitlocker recovery key can either be printed and stored in a secure place or stored in a drive. 5. In a Windows server environment, the combination of Bitlocker and Group Policy enforces the encryption of removable drives across the network. 6. It is free to Windows users provided your OS supports it.

Room for Improvement:

1. Although, drive encryption could be running in the background, it took a long time to encrypt a drive. 2. Bitlocker is available to Windows Ultimate / Enterprise edition only. Other edition of Windows should enjoy this facility My job functions involve writing scripts that I mostly apply to client’s computers both standalone and networked. I store most of these scripts in a flash drive to reduce the task of writing it at the client end. My major challenge was in securing the flash drive. In the past I had a case where a staff member wiped most of his important files, by unknowingly clicking on one of the scripts in the flash drive he collected from me. This incident almost caused me to lose my job.

Other Advice:

In order to avoid such an experience in the future, I was forced to search for a free tool that would help me encrypt my drive. Bitlocker was all we needed. To be sincere, I am not disappointed deploying the tool. All my drives are now encrypted. There is no fear of losing my job as a result of unauthorized access to my flash drives, and any other drives. Bitlocker also enabled us to encrypt the drive hosting the operating systems of our mobile users. All that the PC needs, is to be Trusted Platform Module (TPM) compliant, or rather, have a USB stick that contains the keys. This provides additional security to the systems.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

it_user758688Principal at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

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Mar 6, 2018

I completely agree.

DineshShetty

Head of Customer Service at Elogixa Technology

Aug 20, 2024

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Protects company data through encryption

Pros and Cons

"We use Microsoft BitLocker for our endpoints, including laptops."

"Instead of integrating with a third party, Microsoft BitLocker should have its own mechanism to safeguard the systems when they are not accessible for a long time."

What is most valuable?

We use Microsoft BitLocker for our endpoints, including laptops.

What needs improvement?

Instead of integrating with a third party, Microsoft BitLocker should have its own mechanism to safeguard the systems when they are not accessible for a long time.

For how long have I used the solution?

Our organization has been using Microsoft BitLocker for a long time, and we have been solutioning it for the last three to four years.

How are customer service and support?

We get immediate responses from the technical support team, and we haven't seen anything getting escalated. The support team should provide quick, permanent solutions.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution’s pricing is reasonable.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend the solution to other users. Nowadays, data is key to any company, and safeguarding data is the top priority. I would recommend that organizations use Microsoft BitLocker encryption to protect their data.

Microsoft BitLocker's recovery options have improved greatly over the last five to ten years. The solution's recovery works faster and does not cause too much downtime for the end user.

Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.