| CFANs has purchased Utimaco SafeGuard Easy and is encrypting all departmentally owned laptops and high risk desktops. This software allows us to encrypt the entire hard drive. If your hard drive begins to fail we have tools that will allow us to decrypt the hard drive, retrieve your data and export it to the network so that your files are not lost. As always we strongly encourage you to keep backups of your data on network file shares that are being backed up nightly. If your laptop has not been encrypted please send an email to cfans.help@umn.edu requesting that your laptop be encrypted.
How does it work?
When you turn on your computer the encryption software loads prior to Windows and prompts for your Internet (x.500) password (See image below). At this point your hard drive is encrypted and can only be accessed with the right password. Once your password is verified by Utimaco it then passes control to Windows and a normal Window boot occurs. Next you will see the Windows privacy screen and will still need to click OK. Finally since we are able to synchronize your Utimaco and Internet ID (x.500) accounts single sign on logs you into Windows without prompting you to logon a second time. Your desktop will load and you can begin working as normal.
How do I know if my computer is encrypted?
In the system tray you will see a new icon that is a diamond shape within a square shape. The center of the diamond icon has the letter F. 
Do I need to encrypt/decrypt files?
As you add, remove or send files as attachments they are encrypted and decrypted on the fly so you don’t have to worry about sharing encryption keys. Those receiving files from you will not know that they were previously encrypted on your computer.
Future Encryption Options
In the future we are looking into how we can encrypt external and USB drives. Check back for more details as we continue to expand our encryption options. | 
