Vista BitLocker Encrypts Windows Volume

BitLocker Drive Encryption, one of the truly new features of Windows Vista, reduces the threat of data theft or exposure from lost, stolen, or recycled computers. With supporting hardware, BitLocker and the Encrypting File System can fully encrypt all of the data on the computer and prevent booting of key operating system components if they have been compromised by hackers. But configuring a computer to use BitLocker is complicated, and Microsoft will offer BitLocker only on the Vista Enterprise and Ultimate editions, which could complicate licensing for organizations that want the feature.

The Need for BitLocker

More than 700,000 laptops are stolen in the United States each year, and those thefts often compromise an organization’s internal or customer data. Organizations also face problems when they retire computers: a study of disposed or recycled computers found that more than half of the hard drives that were supposedly erased still contained corporate or personally identifiable information.