Encryption of College-owned Computers

What?

• Encryption protects the contents of a computer's hard drive by encoding the data so that it cannot be read without the proper "key".
• The encryption protocol we use protects the data even if the hard drive is removed from its computer and connected to another device.

Why?

• Protects vital college data from theft or disclosure.
• Prevents liability for a data breach if a computer containing sensitive data were to be lost or stolen.

Who?

• All campus office computers will be encrypted by default; most new computers are encrypted at the time of delivery.

Key to Know

• Once the hard drive is encrypted, CrashPlan backups of your data are even more important, as most emergency data recovery options are no longer available.
• If you lose access due to a forgotten password (Mac) or hardware changes which require the recovery key (Windows), T&I may be able to help you recover access via a recovery key which is automatically (and securely) stored on our servers when the computer is first encrypted. Contact us for assistance.

How?

• macOS users can initiate encryption via the Self Service app, if your computer meets the requirements. Learn how.
• Windows computers require a visit from T&I to configure encryption, due to variations in the computer hardware across models and brands.