Creating Encrypted Containers with Disk Utility
(for simple file-based encryption - check the help files for a particular software product – many such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat have built-in tools to encrypt (password-protect) documents.
Current versions of the macOS include the ability to create encrypted disk images. This allows you to create a password-protected container file that will mount as an additional drive in the Finder only after a decryption key is entered -- without the decryption key, the data is unreadable by anyone who merely has access to the file.
...
If you are interested in a full-disk encryption solution for a Whitman-owned/managed device -- please contact the WCTS Help Desk or the Information Security Office for a discussion about the options available to you.
** Reminder: modern encryption tools are very powerful. If you lose or forget your decryption key (password) -- the encrypted data is effectively lost. Proceed with caution and understand the potential data loss risks.
Step-by-step guide
To create a new protected container:
...