The State of Colorado Uses Virtru for Controlled File Sharing in Microsoft 365

With a workforce of more than 60,000 employees, the government of the State of Colorado manages a wide range of services for its constituents. To coordinate and deliver these services, Colorado’s government agencies rely on a vast amount of data. That data is often sensitive, and employees need a way to share it when needed, without compromising its security. 

The Colorado Secretary of State department handles highly sensitive information that runs the gamut from elections to business filings. Its teams need the ability to share that data with the right government counterparts, at the right time, while keeping it secure. They previously used Proofpoint, but when Proofpoint Secure Share shut down in 2024, they needed to find an alternative. After evaluating multiple vendors, they selected Virtru. 

The Result

With Virtru, the State of Colorado was able to:

• Efficiently apply right-sized security to email and file sharing, covering a wide range of data sharing scenarios, with Virtru for Microsoft Outlook

• Replace Proofpoint for large file exchange (up to 15 GB) — anything too large to send over email — with external contacts, with Virtru Secure Share

• Control its own encryption keys for data sovereignty, shielding sensitive information from cloud providers, using Virtru Private Keystore

Why Colorado Chose Virtru Over Kiteworks 

Simply put, Virtru can provide more affordable, right-sized data security than Kiteworks. Virtru’s solutions complement Colorado’s existing software and business workflows — so they’re equipped with everything they need, and nothing they don’t.

When looking for a Proofpoint replacement after Proofpoint Secure Share EOL, the Colorado Secretary of State department needed secure file sharing, as well as advanced protections for sensitive data subject to NIST and other regulatory frameworks. The department handles everything from PII (personally identifiable information) to CUI (controlled unclassified information), and it needed a secure, yet simple, way to share that data as part of its daily operations. 

The state evaluated Kiteworks as a Proofpoint alternative, but would be required to purchase the full Kiteworks suite of products instead of the elements they actually needed. The solution would have been too expensive, with too many features that the department did not need and would not realistically use. But, when Colorado evaluated Virtru, it was a great fit: Virtru could provide powerful data-centric security for the business applications that the team already uses: Microsoft O365 email and file sharing. Virtru also allows the state to host its own encryption keys for greater control, data sovereignty, and peace of mind. 

Granular Access Control for Microsoft O365 Data Security

The Colorado Secretary of State department is a Microsoft shop, using O365 and Exchange. Virtru Email Encryption for Outlook provides employees with a remarkably simple way to encrypt and share sensitive information. For files too large to share via email, Virtru Secure Share provides a simple, platform-agnostic solution that works in any web browser. The organization hosts its own encryption keys using the Virtru Private Keystore, so it doesn’t have to trust Microsoft with both its content and its encryption keys: The state’s encrypted data can be shielded from the cloud provider.  

Another benefit of Virtru is the granular access control it provides: Using Virtru’s Security Rules, admins can automatically set a 3-month expiration date for emails and files leaving their network. This way, sensitive information doesn’t remain in the recipient’s inbox forever — access to sensitive data is revoked, and the Secretary of State’s office can more effectively and efficiently govern access to data shared externally. Users don’t have to do anything special — it happens automatically. 

Protecting Election and Financial Data

The Secretary of State department is trusted to keep sensitive information secure, and that information encompasses everything from elections data, to business filings, financial reports, IT details, and administrative information. PII and CUI are also part of this data mix. 

With such high-value information to protect, the State of Colorado doesn’t leave security up to chance: It takes decisive and proactive steps to ensure that sensitive data can move freely when needed, while only being accessible to those with the authority to do so. Virtru’s client-side encryption, fine-grained access controls, and persistent protection ensure that data integrity and security are tightly woven into the state’s Microsoft 365 data sharing environment.