I run Office 365 (and therefore Outlook) on my main PC and a laptop.
I understand that emails are downloaded to a .ost file for offline use, and I also archive regularly to .pst files.
I store the archived files on an encrypted drive, and all works well... however, how secure are the .ost files if my computer is stolen? I am relying solely on my login password to protect access to Outlook, but that won't stop someone copying .ost files off my computer. Are they linked to my profile in any way, or can they be opened in any copy of an appropriate version of Outlook?
I have considered encrypting the folder containing them - and unencrypting before starting Outlook - but I want to know if there are known issues with this (especially if I forget and try to start Outlook before entering the encryption password), or whether there's a better way of doing things. I'm not keen on a boot password and encrypting the whole drive because others need to (legitimately) use my machines, and the more people I tell a secure complex password to, the more likely it is for someone to write it down on a slip of paper that finds its way into the laptop bag!
Any advice?
For information - I run a business but work alone, so I *am* my IT support. :-)
Windows 10 64-bit
Office 365 (Outlook 2016)
I've been searching for information about this for a while, but maybe I'm not entering the right search terms - I keep getting information on encrypting email messages, security in transit or security at rest on the Microsoft servers, but they aren't my concerns right now.
Thanks for any pointers.
Alison