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Microsoft BitLocker pros and cons

Vendor: Microsoft
4.1 out of 5
Badge Ranked 1

Pros & Cons summary

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Prominent pros & cons

PROS

Whole disk encryption is seamless and integrates well with System Center Configuration Manager.
It offers easy implementation, AD integration, and strong security through the Trusted Platform Module.
Microsoft BitLocker provides ease of deployment and manageability, with strong integration into Microsoft tools like Intune.
The encryption tool is stable, native to the OS, and reduces the need for extensive IT management.
It ensures data security through endpoint encryption and benefits from being part of the Microsoft ecosystem.

CONS

Microsoft BitLocker lacks integration with cloud tenancy and does not offer encryption for other items such as shared folders and removable media.
The technical support provided by Microsoft BitLocker is found to be lacking, often referring users to irrelevant articles.
Issues with encryption speed and system performance during encryption have been noted, suggesting that a faster encryption process would improve the user experience.
The cross-compatibility of Microsoft BitLocker is an issue, as it does not support users on non-Windows platforms like Mac.
Pricing and licensing are concerns, as a Pro license is required for its use, which could be costly for users.
 

Microsoft BitLocker Pros review quotes

it_user1011 - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager of Data Center at a insurance company with 51-200 employees
Jun 26, 2012
There is no fear of losing my job as a result of unauthorized access to my flash drives, and any other drives.
it_user1035 - PeerSpot reviewer
Developer at a tech vendor with 51-200 employees
Jun 29, 2012
Bitlocker is a very user friendly tool, which can encrypt our data within a few clicks.
it_user1122 - PeerSpot reviewer
Infrastructure Expert at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Jul 11, 2012
From my own personal experience, Bitlocker is one of the easier ways to encrypt a drive.
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft BitLocker. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2026.
885,286 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Darren Chaker - PeerSpot reviewer
InfoSec/Forensics/Countermeasures Specialist at DynCorp.
Aug 9, 2017
Whole Disk Encryption is great. BitLocker runs seamlessly during boot up.
it_user355887 - PeerSpot reviewer
Infrastructure Specialist at a healthcare company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Jul 25, 2017
Protects employee and enterprise data in case of loss of a laptop.
RM
IT Infrastructure Analyst at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Sep 25, 2017
Integration with System Center Configuration Manager (C: and D: logical drives are encrypted before installing Windows via SCCM).
headofop936426 - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Operations (India) at a tech vendor with 51-200 employees
Sep 28, 2018
It is easy to implement and has AD integration.
YB
Senior System Manager at TEG Analytics
May 15, 2019
The product is stable.
JK
Information Technology Specialist at Calculus System Sarl
Nov 28, 2019
The most valuable feature is the TPM (Trusted Platform Module), which makes the PC security stronger because somebody who is not from the team cannot access the PC without the decryption PIN.
MohamedKhairy - PeerSpot reviewer
Co-Founder & Enterprise Solutions Architect at Qtopia Tech. Solutions
Dec 9, 2019
It is easy to use. It is usually easy to recover someone's privacy. The manageability is much easier than McAfee. I think that Microsoft is a leader in this area. We are in the Microsoft school so our judgment of McAfee will be a little bit unfair as we recommend Microsoft all the time because of the easy manageability and support. I think that McAfee is designed for a different customer and every time we open a ticket with their support, it takes a very, very long time. The main difference is just the manageability and support. In terms of the solution itself or the functionality, I know that McAfee is very strong, but manageability and support, for us, is much more important. It's strengthens the solution for us.
 

Microsoft BitLocker Cons review quotes

it_user1011 - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager of Data Center at a insurance company with 51-200 employees
Jun 26, 2012
Although drive encryption could be running in the background, it took a long time to encrypt a drive.
it_user1035 - PeerSpot reviewer
Developer at a tech vendor with 51-200 employees
Jun 29, 2012
It comes only with the Windows Ultimate and Enterprise editions, so the users who use other editions cannot use this tool.
it_user1122 - PeerSpot reviewer
Infrastructure Expert at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Jul 11, 2012
Any software encryption will take up additional space on your hard drive or storage device, and Bitlocker is no exception.
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft BitLocker. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2026.
885,286 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Darren Chaker - PeerSpot reviewer
InfoSec/Forensics/Countermeasures Specialist at DynCorp.
Aug 9, 2017
There are options which could be implemented to make it a little more like PGP Whole Disk Encryption.
it_user355887 - PeerSpot reviewer
Infrastructure Specialist at a healthcare company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Jul 25, 2017
Remote management (e.g., enable/disable, reset, etc.) of PIN codes and recovery keys would be a nice feature.
RM
IT Infrastructure Analyst at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Sep 25, 2017
The implementation of BitLocker is not simple. There are many prerequisites and hours of study and testing.
headofop936426 - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Operations (India) at a tech vendor with 51-200 employees
Sep 28, 2018
More customization options would have been nice, such as password selection, actions when the screen is locked, etc.
YB
Senior System Manager at TEG Analytics
May 15, 2019
The encryption takes a long time to complete, and our system runs very slowly while it is encrypting.
JK
Information Technology Specialist at Calculus System Sarl
Nov 28, 2019
If the encryption was faster then it would make the experience more pleasant.
MohamedKhairy - PeerSpot reviewer
Co-Founder & Enterprise Solutions Architect at Qtopia Tech. Solutions
Dec 9, 2019
If integration with Active Directory are not mandatory for him, I think that there are many other solutions in the market that equal or are much stronger than Microsoft.