Can Microsoft's Bitlocker Save Us from Ourselves?

Publication: eWeek

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COPYRIGHT 2006 Ziff Davis Media Inc.

Microsoft is making it much more difficult to access and steal a business's vital data from one of its PCs.

The giant software maker will deliver Bitlocker, a hard drive encryption tool, as part of its forthcoming Windows Vista operating system, which is now in its second beta and is due to large businesses in November. Bitlocker, which will come with Windows Vista Enterprise and Ultimate editions, can be used to encrypt an entire hard drive, making it more difficult for someone to access the computer's data if it is lost or stolen.

Microsoft believes that Bitlocker will help companies guard against accidental loss--where a PC, as well as a server in many cases, is lost or possibly disposed of without its drive being wiped--inappropriate access by company employees and even theft from individuals interested in a PC for its data. Despite the fact that hard drive encryption tools already exist, the act of including Bitlocker with Windows Vista--and integrating the tool with its Active Directory for things like automatically storing...

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