BitLocker™ Technical Overview — Now Available

  • Article

It’s been a while since WinHEC 2005, and it was time for a meaningful refresh of our BitLocker docs. In an effort to crystallize the product functionality in one relatively short, yet technical document, I have updated the BitLocker Technical Overview available on https://www.microsoft.com/technet/windowsvista/security/bittech.mspx.

This document is intended for IT administrators and advanced users to help them understand the different authentication scenarios offered. The document includes the following:

  • The different requirements for installing BitLocker Drive Encryption
  • An architectural overview
  • A section on servers
  • A section on data volumes
  • Information about the product’s lifecycle—from install to retirement
  • Information about the different authentication scenarios offered (what is TPM-only and what is TPM+StartupKey)
  • Information about the different recovery mechanisms available in case something goes wrong

-- Tony Ureche