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Claudio Dosio - PeerSpot reviewer
ICT Manager at a construction company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Top 10
A system software that protects your hard disk and ensures that stolen PCs or laptops do not lose their data
Pros and Cons
  • "Microsoft BitLocker can be used to ensure that stolen PCs or laptops do not lose their data."
  • "We recently found some stability issues with Microsoft BitLocker."

What is most valuable?

Microsoft BitLocker can be used to ensure that stolen PCs or laptops do not lose their data.

What needs improvement?

We recently found some stability issues with Microsoft BitLocker. We found that quite a few users on the web are complaining about the solution's stability, especially after the Microsoft update. One user's laptop did not boot because of such an issue.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft BitLocker for about eight to ten years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate Microsoft BitLocker a nine out of ten for stability.

Buyer's Guide
Microsoft BitLocker
March 2025
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft BitLocker. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
842,767 professionals have used our research since 2012.

How was the initial setup?

Microsoft BitLocker's initial setup is extremely simple.

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

Microsoft BitLocker's pricing is included in the Microsoft license, and you don't have to pay an additional fee for it.

What other advice do I have?

Microsoft BitLocker is directly deployed on the end user devices. Microsoft BitLocker is an encryption solution that ciphers the disk of the local machine. If you carry around your devices and somebody steals them, they cannot read the data off it even if they attach it to another device.

Microsoft BitLocker is directly deployed on the end user devices. Microsoft BitLocker is an encryption solution that ciphers the disk of the local machine. If you carry around your devices and somebody steals them, they cannot read the data off it even if they attach it to another device.

Using Microsoft BitLocker is very easy. After ciphering the data, it unlocks itself if you have a modern PC attached to the correct PC. However, you must have your old company username and password to create an account and see the data. You cannot see the data if you don't have the password. Nothing much can be done regarding the software's usability or evolution.

Microsoft BitLocker should not be considered as an end-user software. It's a system software that protects your hard disk.

Microsoft BitLocker is not hard to use.

Overall, I rate Microsoft BitLocker a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
IT Infrastructure Analyst at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Provides disk protection while configuration is transparent to user, although implementation is complex
Pros and Cons
  • "Integration with System Center Configuration Manager (C: and D: logical drives are encrypted before installing Windows via SCCM)."
  • "The implementation of BitLocker is not simple. There are many prerequisites and hours of study and testing."

What is most valuable?

  • Integration with System Center Configuration Manager (C: and D: logical drives are encrypted before installing Windows via SCCM).
  • Use of the computer's TMP to not have to request PIN for the user.
  • In Windows 10 (1511) the TPM supports the XTS-AES encryption algorithm.

How has it helped my organization?

Before BitLocker we used the DELL disk protection through the BIOS. This protection is not very efficient and the user needs a PIN to unlock the computer. With BitLocker I guarantee the protection of the disk and the configuration is transparent to the user.

What needs improvement?

The implementation of BitLocker is not simple. There are many prerequisites and hours of study and testing. We have had some communication problems between Windows 10 and TMP and, in some cases, the computer does not work and we need to generate a new key in MBAM.

For how long have I used the solution?

We tested the solution for four months on all computer models we have before placing it in the production environment.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Yes. We had communication problems between the OS and TPM 1.2 of the computer. It is best to use computers with TPM 2.0.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

No. We have 1200 computers and the environment, with one MBAM server and one SQL, is supporting the environment. I do not know how scalability is using Active Directory to store the encryption keys.

How are customer service and technical support?

There is a lot of documentation in English and Brazilian Portuguese. To date, we have not needed Microsoft technical support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

No. Symantec, Dell and McAfee solutions for disk encryption are expensive and some of them use BitLocker behind the solution, but are very expensive.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is simple. You have the task of turning on the TPM of all computers before attempting to use the BitLocker. When using MBAM + SCCM + SQL it is important to have a CA root in your environment to issue the digital certificate to the MBAM.

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

BitLocker is already in Windows 10 and its price has already been "paid". To use another disk encryption solution you have to analyze well the needs of each company and how much data is critical to the business.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I evaluated solutions from DELL, Symantec and McAfee. Among all, Symantec has a good solution, but very expensive.

What other advice do I have?

We are using BitLocker for Windows 10 (which depends on TPM 1.2 or greater) being managed by MBAM 2.5 with SQL Server database to store the encryption keys. BitLocker is configured to use Active Directory or SQL to store the encryption keys. When using AD, the keys are stored in an unprotected directory. When using SQL, the stored keys are stored in an encrypted database.

I recommend that you study many hours before you start testing. Take the MBAM test at Microsoft's website.

Study TPM 1.2 and 2.0.

Use SQL to store the encryption keys and not the Active Directory, so you leave the AD free of high processing and add a layer of protection with the encryption of the database.

It is important to test on ALL models of computers, there is always a model that will not work.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Microsoft Partner.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft BitLocker
March 2025
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft BitLocker. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
842,767 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer1475733 - PeerSpot reviewer
Director, Cryptographic Engineering at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Stable with good encryption but unsure if it protects the hard drive of stolen laptops
Pros and Cons
  • "The hard drive encryption is very good."
  • "It's possible that the time it takes to pull items in to BitLocker could be reduced a bit."

What is our primary use case?

BitLocker is a feature of which enables hard drive encryption. It's similar to Symantec Endpoint Encryption. For us, both go hand-in-hand, however, BitLocker has an advantage in that it stores the key in TPM. 

What is most valuable?

The hard drive encryption is very good.

What needs improvement?

Right now, the problem for us is, if a laptop is stolen, how they address it with the hard drive if it is already protected in BitLocker? We cannot protect anything until we have a centralized server feed where w can get all the information from all the laptop and the device if it does get stolen. Currently, to solve this, we are using a solution called Unbound.

I'm a hardcore developer. I don't know whether the solution has any source files. That said, I don't see anything that's really lacking, feature-wise. 

It's possible that the time it takes to pull items in to BitLocker could be reduced a bit. It can take a long time - sometimes up to 90 minutes.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution since I started working for my current company. I haven't been with them for so long and therefore haven't been working with the solution for too long just yet.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We have about 80,000 laptops and an encryption rate of approximately 99%. The stability seems to be pretty good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I haven't attempted to scale the solution. I wouldn't be able to properly discuss how scalable it is at this time.

Currently, we have the solution on approximately 80,000 laptops.

I'm not sure if we will increase usage. I'm actually considering changing the solution in the near future.

How are customer service and technical support?

I haven't really had any contact with technical support. Since I've never used them, I can't really discuss if they are responsive or knowledgable. Right now, my sole purpose is to look for an alternative to Unbound, and therefore I don't work too much with BitLocker troubleshooting.

How was the initial setup?

I didn't handle the initial setup. It would be impossible for me to discuss the process or to talk about if it is difficult or straightforward. I didn't handle any aspect of the implementation.

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

I'm not really involved in the pricing aspect of the solution. I don't know if it is expensive or reasonably priced.

What other advice do I have?

I essentially joined the company and since I got here all the laptops and endpoints have been encrypted using BitLocker. We are using IBM as management for all the data and to stop Microsoft from taking away Unbound support.

We are looking for an alternative. We're curious about Symantec or endpoint encryptions that I can use with BitLocker, on top of the Symantec client that I have. 

We're using the latest version of the solution, from what I understand. We load the solution directly onto laptops.

I would recommend the solution. However, if I find another endpoint solution, I may switch. I'm not tied to this product.

I don't have a lot of experience on the solution just yet. I'm still evaluating it in a lot of ways, and discovering the features.

I'd rate the solution seven out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Naren Malepati - PeerSpot reviewer
Assistant Manager at Vodafone
Real User
Top 10
Automatically asks the users to upgrade their password once we set up the process
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution has a feature that automatically asks the users to upgrade their password once we set up the process."
  • "The solution’s user interface could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We use Microsoft BitLocker to encrypt the data.

What is most valuable?

Before logging into the system, we enable Microsoft BitLocker so that the data will be automatically encrypted.

The best feature of Microsoft BitLocker is how it encrypts the data. The solution has a feature that automatically asks the users to upgrade their password once we set up the process. Microsoft BitLocker will not allow users to have the same password for the next five to six times.

What needs improvement?

The solution’s user interface could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft BitLocker for six to seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft BitLocker is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Microsoft BitLocker is a scalable solution. More than 5,00,000 users are using the solution.

How was the initial setup?

The solution’s initial setup is straightforward for an end user.

What other advice do I have?

Microsoft BitLocker is a cloud-based solution. I would recommend Microsoft BitLocker to other users. The solution's performance lags a little. Your process will get a bit slow whenever you start encrypting the data.

I rate the solution a five out of ten for ease of use and effectiveness.

Overall, I rate Microsoft BitLocker an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
IT manager at a sports company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Top 20
Provides good encryption, but user interface could be improved
Pros and Cons
  • "Microsoft BitLocker is a Microsoft native product that provides good encryption."
  • "The solution should have a better user interface and dashboard."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution for encryption.

What is most valuable?

Microsoft BitLocker is a Microsoft native product that provides good encryption.

What needs improvement?

The solution should have a better user interface and dashboard.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft BitLocker for four to five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the solution’s stability an eight out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Around 80,000 users use the solution in our organization.

I rate the solution’s scalability ten out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

The solution's technical support team asks for a lot of logs.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

The solution's competitor is Trellix. Trellix is a bit better than Microsoft BitLocker because it has a very good reporting feature.

How was the initial setup?

The solution's initial setup is complex.

What about the implementation team?

I deployed the solution by myself in a couple of days.

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

On a scale from one to ten, where one is expensive and ten is cheap, I rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten.

What other advice do I have?

The solution's recovery option works fine to support our data security strategy. We integrate the Azure OpenAI tool with Microsoft BitLocker. I would recommend the solution to other users.

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

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Director IM/IT at Sustainable Development Technology Canada
Real User
Encryption that provides protection that is ideal for our cloud-based environment
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is the simplicity and integration with the Microsoft Clouds platform."
  • "I would like to be able to encrypt our cloud tenancy."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use case of this solution is to encrypt all of our laptops. If they are ever lost then they are useless to anybody, unless they have the key. 

Our keys are stored in our Active Directory, making it impossible for anyone to decrypt what we have in our devices.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the simplicity and integration with the Microsoft Clouds platform. I can store the keys to the devices kept in my Active Directory in Microsoft Azure.

What needs improvement?

In the next generation, it could have a higher level of encryption.

I would like to be able to encrypt our cloud tenancy.

I would like to have the ability to encrypt a cloud-based server with BitLocker.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for six months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is fine. It has no impact on performance or negligible impact on performance. No one notices.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is essentially unlimited.

We have 60 users who are everyone from the CEO to the standard line worker.

Everyone in our organization is encrypted with BitLocker, in addition to all of our devices. 

All of our laptops, PCs, and all of our interactive devices are encrypted with BitLocker.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have contacted Microsoft technical support for other issues and they are very responsive and very quick to follow up. 

Solutions are not always there, but I find Microsoft support reasonable.

I haven't needed technical support for BitLocker.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

There was no other solution in place. We deployed BitLocker because it fits within our strategy for the environment that we were building, which is a no-infrastructure infrastructure.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was very simple.

We expected that the devices had to encrypt themselves once we initiated BitLocker.

Deploying them and having the encryption run only took a few days to implement. This was all being done in the background and no one was impacted while they worked.

We only need one staff member for deployment and no one for maintenance, as it is auto-updating from the Microsoft Cloud.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented this solution internally. 

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

The cost of this solution is bundled in with part of the subscription for the Microsoft Cloud. 

We have users subscribed to Enterprise E5 and it comes with E5.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We researched a few websites for comparative encryption, but we didn't want to introduce another vendor. BitLocker satisfied all of the criteria that we had. We don't need any military-grade or any military level or anything beyond those capabilities.

What other advice do I have?

We have no infrastructure. Everything we have, our entire infrastructure, has moved and it's in the Microsoft Azure cloud.

This solution does everything that we need it to do. It is very convenient and it fits into our strategy of having everything in a homogeneous Microsoft Cloud. 

It is difficult to rate anything a ten as there may be future bugs or features that may be introduced, or if someone can discover how to hack it. At this time, we feel very safe and very covered with the encryption levels that we have with BitLocker.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Information Technology Specialist at Calculus System Sarl
Real User
A cost-effective solution to protect data from physical theft, but the encryption process is slow
Pros and Cons
  • "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."
  • "If the encryption was faster then it would make the experience more pleasant."

What is our primary use case?

I am a solution provider in Congo and I propose products such as Microsoft BitLocker to my customers.

My clients use this solution to protect their data in cases where computers are stolen. In this region, theft of computers from companies is quite common and the data that is stored needs to be protected.

What is most valuable?

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. If the hard drive is removed from the computer then the data is still encrypted, and even a USB key can be protected by using this solution. This makes my customers very happy.

This solution is not cost-effective and it is easy to implement.

It is very easy to deploy BitLocker on machines that are running Microsoft Windows Server 2012 because it can be done automatically.

What needs improvement?

It takes a very long time to encrypt a disk, so I think that speed is something that can be improved. It can take more than two hours to encrypt a disk with one terabyte of data. When my clients are working, they don't really like having to look at a progress bar to tell them that the disk is in the process of being encrypted. If the encryption was faster then it would make the experience more pleasant.

I would like to be able to secure the hard drives of virtual machines.

Securing data transfer such as email and the more general internet connection would be very good.

They should improve the hybrid-cloud security and protect the network instead of just securing the computers.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Microsoft BitLocker for less than a year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have not heard any feedback from my clients with respect to stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This solution scales easily. The server is centralized and every computer that joins the domain is automatically inserted. Each one is automatically configured and synchronized.

My customers are generally small companies with less than one thousand employees, so it would not be very easy to test scalability beyond that.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have not been in contact with technical support. Rather, I use the forum to get information. They have great documentation, as well.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

My client was not using another solution prior to this one. I proposed three different products, but they chose BitLocker because it is free. IT is not well understood by the clients in my country, so we need to offer services and they have to be at a low cost. They most often prefer to use solutions that are free, or included with Microsoft Windows.

How was the initial setup?

It is very easy to set up and deploy Microsoft BitLocker.

You have to set up the central server, and the configuration may take a day or two. After this, all of you have to do is go to every employee and then launch it, after they choose a personal PIN.

I had some technical issues with one of my deployments, but everything was working properly by the end of the first day. My issues arose because not all of the PCs had an updated version of Windows 10, so it took me some time to work out how to do the upgrades properly. It is important because TPM 2.0 is not supported in Legacy. 

That was the very odd part of the solution, and what we needed to do was to make sure that all of the PCs had the same type of Windows license. Once this was done properly, most of the PCs could be encrypted at the same time. It still required going to every PC though, because each needs to be given a PIN and configured. This was a disruption to some of the employees and it would be better if IT had total control, being able to do this from a central server and then simply notifying each user of their PIN. If there were one thousand employees then this would take a really long time.

What about the implementation team?

We perform the deployment of Microsoft BitLocker for our customers. Because each PC has to be checked after the server is running, it is easier to have more than one person to do this. I normally take one or two of my colleagues to assist me with this.

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

This solution is included with Microsoft Server and my clients did not have to pay for anything extra.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I am somewhat familiar with other solutions such as those by McAfee, Digital Guardian, and Trend Micro Endpoint Encryption. However, I do not know these products as well as Microsoft BitLocker.

Once I obtain certification on some of these other solutions, I will propose them to my clients as well. Digital Guardian is something that I have been reading about lately, and it looks very good.

What other advice do I have?

The encryption solution was not something that I was really informed about, but I decided to study it and then propose it to my customers.

I propose two different deployment models; the cloud and on-premises. The internet connection fees here are expensive, so many people prefer to deploy on-site.

My advice for anybody who is implementing this solution is to have a good idea of what they want to do, prepare for it, and go for it. It is not really complex, yet it is a very rich solution to deploy.

The biggest lesson that I have learned from using Microsoft BitLocker is that it can help a lot of people, but it is not very well known. People need to be familiarized with this solution through discussion. Engaging customers and proposing it to them will really help with the security of IT infrastructure in an enterprise. You can secure all of your data, the transfer of your data, and even USB keys.

This may not be the best solution, but it is easy to deploy and easy to grow.

I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Urs Schuerch - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Technology Engineer at Ingenias AG
Real User
Top 5
Helps us secure infrastructure, but the documentation could be more accessible
Pros and Cons
  • "The platform provides good performance."
  • "The deployment process regarding prerequisites and automation could be easy to understand."

What is our primary use case?

We use Microsoft BitLocker to encrypt employee devices for data protection.

What is most valuable?

The platform provides good performance.

What needs improvement?

The deployment process regarding prerequisites and automation could be easy to understand. It could be more transparent. Documentation should be more accessible and simplified, particularly directed towards small organizations, making it understandable for smaller setups.

A centralized management console with a web interface or dashboard for an implementation overview could exist.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have 20 Microsoft BitLocker users in our organization. I want to deploy it on as many systems as possible for clients or users.

How are customer service and support?

I refer to the support's knowledge base to resolve any issues.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup must be easy, but I couldn't understand the process. Some devices can automatically activate it. However, the documentation makes it seem like a complicated project to deploy. I would like to understand clearly how it works.

What about the implementation team?

We work with an external IT service provider for the deployment.

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

The product's cost is included in Windows.

What other advice do I have?

I recommend Microsoft BitLocker. It protects our endpoints and company data and helps secure the infrastructure. In case of suspicious activity, our data remains inaccessible.

However, they should also explore other easier options for IT professionals to understand. I rate the platform a six out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft BitLocker Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: March 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft BitLocker Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.