UBC IT will be retiring the McAfee Encryption management service on June 24, 2021. Following this date, UBC IT will continue to manage encryption for supported devices by leveraging the capabilities of existing licensed products. This change will result in significant cost savings for the University.
What is Encryption?
Encryption is a method of preventing unauthorized access to electronic data. Encryption is imperative for sending sensitive information, securing your documents, keeping your email private and, ultimately, it allows for peace of mind if a computer is misplaced, lost or stolen.
How will this change affect me?
The level of impact that this change will have on you is dependent upon:
- How IT services are managed within your appointed unit
- Whether or not the computer you use to access UBC Electronic Information and Systems is UBC-supplied or personally-owned
- What operating system your computer is running
Support Documentation
Please follow the instructions as provided below to successfully complete this service migration:
Instructions for Windows users | Instructions for Mac usersInstructions for Windows users
If you make regular use of VPN, the change may be silent.
If you do not login to VPN regularly, you may be prompted with a pop-window informing you that "There are pending system configurations requiring VPN connection." If you agree to connect and log on to VPN, the configuration and migration process will complete automatically.
If you do not connect to VPN when prompted, you will continue to see the following pop-up on a daily basis until a VPN connection is established.
or you may receive a prompt stating that you need to fix a "Work or school account problem." Afterwards you will then receive a prompt to authenticate using your Enhanced CWL.
Instructions for Mac users
UBC managed computer that is already encryptedIf you make regular use of VPN, the change may be silent.
Some users may receive prompts to enable FileVault or escrow the FileVault key to Jamf. Please follow the instructions in these prompts to successfully complete the change.
UBC managed computer that was not previously encrypted
You will receive a prompt advising you to encrypt your computer. Please follow the instructions in these prompts to successfully encrypt your computer. The final step in the encryption process will require you to log back in. Once connected, you will be prompted to enable FileVault. Please follow the instructions in these prompts to successfully complete the change.
If you are unsure of how your device is managed, please contact your faculty or department's local IT support or contact the IT Service Centre.
How can I learn more?
For further information about how and why encryption is essential at UBC, please visit the Encrypt My Devices page on the Privacy Matters @ UBC website. Read more about UBC's Information Security Standard U5, Encryption Requirements.
