Review: PGP Whole Disk Encryption 9.5

For: Easiest product to install of the group tested.
Against: A lack of intuitive logging in the standalone version. Inclusion of the audit log would have made this a Best Buy in the standalone category as well.
Verdict: If I was giving away whole disk encryption products, I would choose this one. The only drawback is the product is so easy to install and so transparent that my friends and family members who re

We configured PGP Whole Disk Encryption to use password authentication, which was easily synchronised with the Windows XP login through the PGP Single Sign-on Process.

At two hours and 30 minutes, PGP Whole Disk Encryption was on the slow side in the length of time needed to encrypt the entire 60 GB drive. Once the drive was encrypted, PassMark’s Performance Test software showed no degradation of system performance. PGP Whole Disk Encryption provided audit logging only for the messaging tie-in product in the standalone version, but the logging in the enterprise edition was truly first-rate.

The PGP installation can also be scripted with the use of the Enterprise server, which can be installed on Windows 2000 and 2003 servers. We would have liked to see increased logging for the standalone product as well.

The product was easy to install and most end-users could navigate the installation process with little more than the installation guide provided with the PGP software. Both standalone and enterprise software installations were as straightforward as hard drive encryption software can be.

Documentation is in the form of PDF files that are thorough, indexed, searchable and easy to navigate. PGP offers phone and email support, and online support in the form of a Frequently Asked Questions section, as well as a searchable knowledge base. Support and premium support are available for purchase.

Priced at the low end of the products that we tested, PGP Whole Disk Encryption was the best product for an enterprise environment. We rate it our Best Buy for its strong enterprise capability, ease of use, value and superior performance.

PGP Whole Disk Encryption has been rated Best Buy by SC Magazine.

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