Glossary

activation

The task that must be completed before any of the Drive Encryption features are accessible. Drive Encryption is activated using the HP ProtectTools Setup Wizard. Only an administrator can activate Drive Encryption. The activation process consists of activating the software, encrypting the drive, creating a user account, and creating the initial backup encryption key on a removable storage device.

Administrative Console

A central location where administrators can access and manage the features and settings in HP ProtectTools.

administrator

See Windows administrator.

asset

A data component consisting of personal information or files, historical and Web-related data, and so on, which is located on the hard drive.

authentication

The process of verifying whether a user is authorized to perform a task such as accessing a computer, modifying settings for a particular program, or viewing secured data.

background service

The HP ProtectTools Device Locking/Auditing background service, which must be running for device access control policies to be applied. It can be viewed from within the Services application under the Administrative Tools option in Control Panel. If it is not running, HP ProtectTools Security Manager attempts to start it when device access control policies are applied.

backup

Using the backup feature to save a copy of important program information to a location outside the program. It can then be used for restoring the information at a later date to the same computer or another one.

biometric

Category of authentication credentials that use a physical feature, such as a fingerprint, to identify a user.

certification authority (CA)

A service that issues the certificates required to run a public key infrastructure.

credentials

The means by which a user proves eligibility for a particular task in the authentication process.

cryptographic service provider (CSP)

A provider or library of cryptographic algorithms that can be used in a well-defined interface to perform particular cryptographic functions.

cryptography

The practice of encrypting and decrypting data so that it can be decoded only by specific individuals.

decryption

A procedure used in cryptography to convert encrypted data into plain text.

device access control policy

The list of devices for which a user is allowed or denied access.

device class

All devices of a particular type, such as drives.

60 Glossary