While you do not need to encrypt all of your email, U-M Safe Computing recommends using Virtru to encrypt messages for which you want to control access or include sensitive information. Some examples of information you might send in email with Virtru encryption include:
- Personally identifiable information (PII) such as name, birth date, and address
- A spreadsheet with names and uniqnames or UMID numbers of members of the U-M community
- Grades and other student education records
Some sensitive information should never be sent through email, even with encryption, such as:
- Payment Card Industry (PCI) data (credit card numbers)
- Certain types of regulated data
For more about which types of sensitive data you may and may not send using Virtru-encypted email, see the U-M Sensitive Data Guide: Virtru at U-M.
Note: Virtru is intended for messages sent to people using their individual email address. It verifies the recipient's identity using their email address before decrypting a message. Virtru does not work with messages sent to MCommunity groups, since it cannot verify the recipient(s) using the group address.