Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Dell Encryption Enterprise [EOL] vs Microsoft BitLocker comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Dell Encryption Enterprise ...
Average Rating
7.4
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft BitLocker
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
66
Ranking in other categories
Endpoint Encryption (1st), Mobile Data Protection (1st)
 

Featured Reviews

LM
Helpful auto-decryption features and great tech support, but problems with adding new applications and a time-consuming decryption process
I see a lot of room for improvement in a couple of areas. One is that the decryption process is a bit complex and takes a lot of time, depending on how many files you have. If that can be improved, it would be great. Second, whenever there is an operating system-related problem, for example, if the OS gets corrupted and I need to reinstall the operating system, it's very difficult because first, I have to move the data onto another disk. From there, I have to decrypt and install the operating system and then copy it back, which consumes a lot of time. So if that can be improved, it would also be great. One additional feature I would be interested in is an easy way to unlock a file. Whenever a file gets locked or encrypted, the admin should have an easy unlock mechanism or some superior control to get the file unlocked on the fly, which would save a lot of time.
Ibrahin Gamal - PeerSpot reviewer
Data protection improves while users adapt to user access complexities
Recovery options are useful with Microsoft BitLocker. When we get the recovery key from Microsoft, people who we show how BitLocker works did not know the facts about BitLocker. When we tell them about recovery keys, it is very difficult for them to get to the users who have issues in their PCs and do not have the knowledge. When IT asked about the scenario, it was difficult for them. They needed something where they could go to the administration portal to unlock the PC for the user, but we tell them that when a user asks for a recovery key, it consists of 32 numbers to unlock their PC. They observed cost savings after implementing Microsoft BitLocker because they requested BitLocker with System Center. They found that it did not have a high cost, as it is a built-in feature in Windows. When they asked about other solutions, it was very expensive for large numbers in other corporates or organizations. They were very satisfied with Microsoft BitLocker with System Center Configuration Manager.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The technical support provided by Dell EMC comes with proactive technical support."
"One place where I can give them top level is the tiered administration, whereby you can assign roles to the support team to say, "You would be responsible for changing passwords. You would be responsible for system management and configurations, and you are the major admin of this." They have that on lockdown. The active directory integration is also pretty okay. It is not so bad. It does have normal features that most of the encryption tools have, such as full-disk encryption, volume encryption, and external drive encryption. I am not sure if they do file-level encryption and if DLP is integrated with the encryption product. I would like to assume that these features are there."
"We like the auto-decryption features. For example, a file is auto-decrypted when it is moved to a different location, either over the network, through email, or through upload to a web server."
"Technical support is excellent."
"It holds significant value as it reduces the need for extensive IT management to handle security across networks and environments"
"The most important aspect of this solution is that if your laptop gets stolen, the information is encrypted."
"The tool has improved the starting up of our notebooks and end-user devices."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the protection and ease of use."
"Microsoft BitLocker is a Microsoft native product that provides good encryption."
"It is easy to use and administer."
"I liked the way it works with our Microsoft tools. As we roll out Intune, we can validate if the device has been encrypted, and if not, we can push it down. It is pretty simple to deploy."
 

Cons

"It is not working properly for us because of which we had to decrypt all our encryptions. I have not used it much, and based on what I have heard, it is very tough to manage. Managing this system is not as easy as it should be. The central management is awful, and the encryption process is tedious. There are too many issues with even recovering passwords. Its ease of deployment is awful. Their support needs to be improved. It is just my fifth week working with this organization, and since I got here, it has been about, "Oh! We have these issues with Dell, and it is not working properly. It is so hard to work with, and please get on with the support team so we can get this resolved as soon as possible." To get the support on the phone is usually a big problem, and by the time they call you back and tell you it is going to take, for instance, about an hour, we end up spending like four hours, and we don't get anything done. The firm has finally decided that Dell is not going to be the way to go. We are now exploring other encryption products. In terms of new features, it should have cloud tenancy encryption. Everything is moving to the cloud, and it would be cool if the next version of Dell encryption can offer that. Based on my research, it seems that a few solutions can do that right now, particularly the McAfee Complete Protection suites. It would be good if Dell can also move away from on-prem. The solution that we're working with is an on-prem solution. I don't know if it is available in the cloud, but it would be good if they can make it available in the cloud. This probably would also help with the cloud tenancy encryption. Another feature that I would've loved them to have is for the passphrase self-recovery for a user. Such a feature would reduce some bit of burden on the help desk team. Currently, people forget their passphrase every single week, and they have to get to the help desk to reset their password. It would have been pretty cool if a passphrase self-recovery option was available for a user."
"As soon as we introduce any new tools or applications, we have to work with the back-end team to handle new problems that are created. Once they're figured out, the solution will stabilize, but the problems keep coming up whenever we introduce a new tool or application. It has been a challenge."
"Some customers have less security in the solution regarding their data."
"The solution’s user interface could be improved."
"My experience with the billing system at Microsoft was very frustrating."
"The solution should have a better user interface and dashboard."
"I would like to be able to encrypt our cloud tenancy."
"The biggest one for us is revoking access. So, even though someone downloads something to a device, we want the ability to cloak that device or data and bring it back or make that data unusable for that person. Currently, BitLocker doesn't give us that ability. It basically encrypts it. We're seeing if identity management or IAM allows us to do that. We're kind of looking at third-party software that does that for us."
"BitLocker should be available on standard Windows. We need to spend money on a Pro license to get BitLocker because it's essential to protect our customers' data. We don't want that to fall into the wrong hands."
"Instead of integrating with a third party, Microsoft BitLocker should have its own mechanism to safeguard the systems when they are not accessible for a long time."
"The people at the first level of support refer you to articles that do not pertain to the problem at hand."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"I don't know the costs. In terms of Microsoft licensing, we are at E3 on the business, and we're in the process of pricing out and moving to E5. So, a lot of this is included within our licensing agreements."
"BitLocker is already in Windows 10 and its price has already been "paid"."
"The solution is priced low. I would rate the product's pricing one out of ten."
"BitLocker is included in our license and doesn't cost us anything extra."
"The solution is cost efficient."
"Microsoft BitLocker's pricing is included in the Microsoft license, and you don't have to pay an additional fee for it."
"It's not about pricing, because we are working with Enterprise companies that already have Windows Enterprise, so BitLocker comes already included as a Windows feature. It's free for Enterprise users. The price is only for deployment. The customer will pay for McAfee, however."
"Microsoft BitLocker is a free feature when you are using Microsoft solutions."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Endpoint Encryption solutions are best for your needs.
867,676 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Government
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business35
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise25
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
Earn 20 points
What should one take into account when replacing PGP with Microsoft BitLocker?
Beware to make backup of useful data, then use reverse decryption policy from Symantec panel/McAfee ePO to decrypt the DE partitions while it is sometimes more straightforward and faster to reinsta...
Would you choose Microsoft BitLocker or McAfee Complete Data Protection?
Microsoft BitLocker is very intuitive and easy to maintain. It is basically the global standard solution for drive encryption and successfully fulfills regulatory needs in terms of data protection....
How does Microsoft BitLocker compare with Symantec Endpoint Encryption?
Microsoft BitLocker is very intuitive and easy to maintain. It is basically the global standard solution for drive encryption and it successfully fulfills regulatory needs in terms of data protecti...
 

Also Known As

No data available
BitLocker, MS BitLocker
 

Overview

Information not available
 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
ACV, Proaxis Therapy, Choice Hotels International, adnymics GmbH, Intermedia, NMBS/SNCB
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, Sophos, ESET and others in Endpoint Encryption. Updated: August 2025.
867,676 professionals have used our research since 2012.