VLRE (Very Lightweight Reporting Engine)

Stanford University requires verifiable whole disk encryption for all desktop and laptop computers used by faculty, staff, and post-docs on the campus network. This requirement applies to both Stanford and personally owned computers that are used for Stanford activities on the campus network, other than those granted exceptions due to special requirements.

Computers that handle High Risk Data must use Stanford Whole Disk Encryption (SWDE). BigFix must be installed on computers participating in the SWDE service for monitoring, automatic security patches and computer updates, and auditing purposes.

For computers that do not handle High Risk Data, SWDE is recommended but there is an option to install VLRE (Very Lightweight Reporting Engine, pronounced “velour”), a read-only agent that provides encryption verification without requiring BigFix. VLRE periodically reports on the computer's encryption and screen saver password status, but leaves maintenance of the computer entirely to the user. If your computer is not encrypted, VLRE steps you through the encryption process.

Designed for

Current faculty and staff

Requirements

Mac: Mac OS X 10.9 or later
- Note: If using macOS 15 Sequoia, VLRE users must turn off the Rotate Wi-Fi Address feature to connect to the Stanford wireless or wired network.
Windows: Windows 7 Enterprise or Ultimate, Windows 8/8.1 Pro or Enterprise, or Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, or Education (TPM chip required for Windows 8.0 and below)

Data security

May not be used to store High Risk Data, as defined by the Information Security Office.

Rates

Free of charge

Get started

To get started, you'll need to download and install VLRE on your computer.

Get help

For assistance, please submit a Help ticket.
If you opted to let VLRE escrow your encryption recovery key and you forget your passphrase, you can call (650) 725-4357 or submit a Help ticket.