What is Laptop Encryption?

This is a method of securing the data on your computer so that it cannot be viewed by anyone if your machine is lost or stolen unless they know your username and password.

Why is it being required?

First and foremost, there are no exceptions to this requirement. As anyone in the healthcare industry should be aware, patient privacy and information security is of the utmost importance. Even small data breaches can have a significant negative impact on an organization’s reputation and can also result in large financial penalties and expenses. As a result, Johns Hopkins is requiring that ALL laptops (both PC and Mac) throughout the enterprise be encrypted regardless of whether or not you work with PHI or PII.

What action is required by me?

As of January 2015, all new laptops issued by SON ITS should have been encrypted before they were issued. Anyone who was issued a laptop before January 2015, must schedule an appointment with SON ITS to have their machine encrypted. Many of you have already done this, but many others still have not. If you are not sure whether or not your machine has been encrypted, see the next section. If your machine has not been encrypted, you need to schedule an appointment with SON ITS as soon as possible to have this work done.

How can I tell if my machine is already encrypted?

Windows Laptops
If you have a Windows laptop, simply click the Start button and then click on "Computer." If your computer has already been encrypted, the disk icon next to your C: drive will have a padlock on top of it as shown. Mac Laptops
If you have a Mac laptop, click the apple in the upper left-hand corner and choose "System Preferences..." Then click "Security & Privacy" and then the "FileVault" tab. You should see a status that indicates whether FileVault (encryption) is turned on or off for your disk.

Scheduling an appointment for encryption

The process to fully encrypt a laptop can take anywhere from 2-5 hours depending on a number of factors. Therefore, the SON Help Desk must schedule appointments with laptop users to bring machines in to have the work done. Ideally, leaving the machine with us overnight is preferable. In cases where this is not possible, the machine must be delivered to us no later than 10:00 AM in order to be ready by 5:00 PM.

Please call or e-mail the Help Desk (410-614-8800 or SON-HelpDesk@jhu.edu) with some dates that would be convenient for you to have this work done. Note that we will only be able to work on a limited number of machines each day. Appointments will be scheduled on a first come first served basis.

What if I am using a personal laptop/device and I store PHI/PII on it?

In most cases, this should never be done. However, there may be exceptions where you have no other choice. If you are storing PHI/PII on a personal laptop or other device, contact the SON Help Desk for guidance.

Additional information as well as answers to FAQs can be found on IT@JH's website. https://it.johnshopkins.edu/it-services/security/laptop-encryption/