Credant Full-Disk Encryption

Emerson College is employing a new piece of software to encrypt the contents of your hard drive on Emerson-owned computers. Credant Shield encrypts data in real time and ensures against unauthorized access, keeping your files and the College's files confidential. Credant runs silently in the background and will not affect your daily computer usage.

Password-Protecting External Media

The only situation in which Credant will prompt you is when you connect external media (USB flash drives, hard drives, etc.) to your Emerson computer. Credant will ask to encrypt and password-protect the files on the device to ensure their security when they leave Emerson.

Click Yes and create a password in the next dialog box. This will NOT be linked to your ECnet account. It is a different password that you will have to manage independently.

If you say No (perhaps this is your personal flash drive from home), you will be granted read-only access to your drive. Any files already on the drive will be accessible, but you will not be able to write any new files.

Whether you say Yes or No, Credant will NOT encrypt existing data on the device. You may continue using your computer while the software does its work. When complete, you may use your device normally.

Connecting Protected Media to a New Computer

When you connect a Credant-encrypted storage device to a different Windows computer (your home computer, your laptop, etc.), you will be prompted for the password you created, whether or not Credant Shield is installed on that computer.

When you connect a storage device that has been previously encrypted on a Windows computer to a Mac, you will need to download EMS Utilities to access your encrypted files. Your original, unencrypted files will still be accessible to you.

Download Credant EMS Utilities for Mac »

After you download and mount the DMG above, you can either run "AccessEMS" once to immediately access your shielded data, or choose "Install EMS Service" for permanent access. Please note that you will need administrator rights on your computer to install the EMS Service.

If you forget your password, click I Forgot. Email helpdesk@emerson.edu with the Recovery Key ID, Shield ID, and Device Code provided. The Help Desk will reply with an access code to reset the password.

For additional information or assistance, visit the IT Help Desk on the 4th floor of 120 Boylston, call 617-824-8080, or email helpdesk@emerson.edu.