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Microsoft BitLocker VS Managed Disks

Compare Microsoft BitLocker VS Managed Disks and see what are their differences

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Microsoft BitLocker logo Microsoft BitLocker

BitLocker is a full disk encryption feature included with Windows Vista and later.

Managed Disks logo Managed Disks

Azure Managed Disks are the new and recommended disk storage offerings for use with Azure Virtual Machines for persistent storage of data. Try the free trial today.
  • Microsoft BitLocker Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-25
  • Managed Disks Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-11

Microsoft BitLocker features and specs

  • Strong Security
    BitLocker provides robust encryption algorithms like AES to protect data at rest, ensuring that unauthorized users cannot access your data even if they have physical access to the device.
  • Seamless Integration
    As a native feature of Windows, BitLocker integrates seamlessly with the operating system, making it easy to deploy and manage within a Windows-based environment.
  • TPM Support
    BitLocker leverages Trusted Platform Module (TPM) hardware to provide enhanced security, such as allowing non-TPM systems to use a USB startup key instead.
  • Enterprise Management Tools
    BitLocker can be managed using Active Directory, Group Policy, and Microsoft Endpoint Manager, enabling IT administrators to enforce encryption policies and recover keys efficiently.
  • Transparent Encryption
    Once BitLocker is set up, it works in the background without requiring user intervention, offering a smooth and transparent user experience.

Possible disadvantages of Microsoft BitLocker

  • Performance Overhead
    Encrypting and decrypting data on the fly can slow down system performance, particularly on older or less powerful hardware.
  • Limited Non-Windows Support
    BitLocker is primarily designed for Windows operating systems, which limits its effectiveness and usability on non-Windows platforms.
  • Complex Recovery Process
    If a user loses their BitLocker recovery key, recovering the encrypted data can be complicated and, in worst-case scenarios, impossible.
  • Initial Setup Complexity
    Setting up BitLocker requires understanding various options and configurations, such as TPM settings and key management, which can be daunting for inexperienced users.
  • Cost
    BitLocker is available only with certain editions of Windows, such as Professional and Enterprise, meaning users may need to upgrade from a basic edition, which could incur additional costs.

Managed Disks features and specs

  • Scalability
    Managed Disks automatically scale to accommodate your storage needs, supporting up to 2 PB per region, eliminating the need for manual disk management.
  • Reliability
    Managed Disks offer built-in high availability with resources automatically distributed across multiple availability zones, ensuring data protection against hardware failures.
  • Performance
    Azure Managed Disks provide consistent and high-performance levels, available in different types like Standard HDD, Standard SSD, and Premium SSD depending on the required workload.
  • Security
    Managed Disks enable Azure Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), encryption at rest and during transport, and integration with Azure Backup for enhanced security.
  • Flexibility
    Various disk sizes and types accommodate different performance levels and price points, offering flexibility to meet specific requirements of applications.
  • Integration
    Managed Disks integrate seamlessly with other Azure services like Azure Backup, Azure Policy, and Azure Disk Encryption, offering a comprehensive cloud ecosystem experience.

Possible disadvantages of Managed Disks

  • Cost
    Managed Disks can be more expensive than unmanaged alternatives, primarily due to additional features such as scaling, redundancy, and ease of use.
  • Complex Pricing
    The pricing structure, involving various disk types and features, can be complex, potentially confusing users about which option is the most cost-effective for their needs.
  • Limited Customization
    Managed Disks, being managed, offer limited customization options compared to unmanaged disks where users can customize storage more freely.
  • Dependency on Cloud Platform
    Using Managed Disks ties users to the Azure platform, which can complicate migration to other cloud providers or on-premises solutions.

Microsoft BitLocker videos

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Managed Disks videos

Azure Managed Vs Unmanaged Disks

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Microsoft BitLocker and Managed Disks)
Security & Privacy
100 100%
0% 0
Cloud Storage
0 0%
100% 100
Monitoring Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Cloud Computing
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Microsoft BitLocker and Managed Disks

Microsoft BitLocker Reviews

Best Disk Encryption Software – the 5 top tools to secure your data
Bitlocker is popular Windows-only software used to encrypt entire volumes using the AES encryption algorithm with a 128- or 256-bit key. Unlike TrueCrypt and VeraCrypt, Bitlocker cannot create encrypted containers. Entire partitions must be encrypted at once.

Managed Disks Reviews

We have no reviews of Managed Disks yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Managed Disks seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 12 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Microsoft BitLocker mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Microsoft BitLocker yet. Tracking of Microsoft BitLocker recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Managed Disks mentions (12)

  • Waiting for Postgres 18: Accelerating Disk Reads with Asynchronous I/O
    Even worse on Azure where we had to ask customers to scale up vcpu to increase iops https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/managed-disks Increasing vcpu also opened up more disk slots to try improve situation with disk striping. - Source: Hacker News / 10 days ago
  • Azure Container Instances vs Sliplane
    In US East, Azure's Managed Disks start at $0.30 for 4 GB plus a transaction fee for read, write, and delete operations. The transaction fee is limited by the maximum number of transactions, e.g., max. $1.00 for a 4 GB disk. For the comparison, I will neglect it, even though a high number of transactions can have a quite significant influence. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • premium ssd v2
    Https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/managed-disks/ for more information on how this disk is priced. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Price for unattached disk
    Google p30 and get this Https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/managed-disks/ About 7 usd per month. Source: about 2 years ago
  • copy between disks/mountpoints slow
    What size are your disks as this determines a few things? Credit based bursting is enabled by default for E30 and smaller but you may have to upgrade to premium to get the performance what you need. Look at, Https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/managed-disks/. Source: over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Microsoft BitLocker and Managed Disks, you can also consider the following products

Symantec Data Loss Prevention - Fully protect your data with the comprehensive detection technologies and unified policies of Symantec's industry leading Data Loss Prevention (DLP).

Vultr Block Storage Vultr - We are simplifying the cloud. One Login, 9 Countries, 16 Cities, Infinite Possibilities.

Paubox - Paubox provides HIPAA compliant email encryption without the hassle of extra steps.

Azure Disk Storage - Choose the right disk storage for all of your data workloads in the cloud—and get the durability, scalability, availability, and security you need.

OpenSSH - OpenSSH is a free version of the SSH connectivity tools that technical users rely on.

SUSE Enterprise Storage - SUSE intelligent software-defined storage solution enables to transform the enterprise storage infrastructure and reduce costs while providing unlimited scalability.