Business laptops are easy to lose and attractive to thieves.
Full-disk encryption protects the information stored on the device by making it unreadable without the correct key.
On Windows, BitLocker is commonly used for this purpose. When properly configured, encryption can protect customer records, documents, cached email, and other information if the laptop is lost or stolen.
Encryption works best when recovery keys are stored securely and managed by the business.
Employees should also use a strong sign-in method and lock their computer whenever they step away.
Encryption does not protect against every threat. If an attacker already has access while the user is signed in, the files may still be available. But encryption is extremely valuable when a device is physically lost.
For mobile workforces, full-disk encryption should be considered a basic security control rather than an optional feature.