Case Study: Brown University achieves improved security posture and greater visibility and control over sensitive data with Virtru

Brown University uses Virtru to maintain highly secure communications through Google Workspace

Brown University, an Ivy League institution with nearly 10,000 students and more than 4,600 employees, needed a consistent, compliant way to share large volumes of sensitive data—including PHI and FERPA-protected information—across campus and with external providers. Prior to Virtru, faculty and staff relied on a mix of snail mail, faxes, couriers, and password‑protected file servers, which lacked standardization, auditability, and control. To address this, Brown adopted Virtru’s data protection solution as its HIPAA‑compliant email platform.

Virtru deployed an easy-to-use, G Suite‑integrated email encryption solution that only allows authorized parties to decrypt messages, logs every access attempt, and enables forwarding restrictions and access revocation. The result, according to Brown’s IT leadership, was a dramatic improvement in email security posture, strong user adoption across health services and the medical school, and greater visibility and control over PHI when shared externally—standardizing workflows and increasing confidence in compliance and data protection.

Brown University

Mark Dieterich

Director of Information Technology and Security,