Bitlocker System Requirements

The following system requirements will allow Windows-based computers to be secured using BitLocker disk encryption. All Windows-based computers should be specified to include these requirements.

• Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2 or higher
  • Note: Request that the vendor enable the TPM chip prior to delivery.
• Trusted Computing Group (TCG)-compliant BIOS
  • Note: The BIOS should be updated with the latest firmware before using BitLocker.
• Windows 7 Enterprise or Ultimate, or Windows Server 2008 R2
  • Note: The computer should conform to University and/or departmental minimum system requirements for the operating system installed.

BitLocker can encrypt partitions formatted using FAT, FAT32, exFAT, or NTFS. Any disk partition to be encrypted must be 64MB or larger.

When encrypting a disk with BitLocker, the computer must be connected to an ASU domain in order to store the recovery key in Active Directory. A USB drive or other external media should be available to store the recovery key locally.

Existing equipment can be encrypted with BitLocker after upgrading to a compatible version of Windows, provided the TPM 1.2 chip and TCG-compliant BIOS are present. Disk repartitioning may be required. The encryption process will repartition the disk as necessary.

For additional information, see the BitLocker hardware and software requirements published by Microsoft.