Password Manager
How many times have you forgot your password and end up having to reset it?
How many times are you tempted to use that easy to remember trusty name and number combo, that you use for lots of other accounts? Don’t do it! You’ll open yourself up all kinds of problems if one of your accounts is hacked.
Lots of times we have talked about what a good password should look like and let’s face it we all know what they should be, but they are hard to remember. So today we want to talk about the benefits of password managers.
What is a password manager?
It’s a piece of software that stores your internet passwords securely for you. Which means you only need to have and remember one password (the master password) to access every website you use.
Some have added benefits, such as they help you choose secure passwords by generating suggested passwords, others store addresses and payment information. Some are free and others you pay for.
The ones you pay for often have other added features like two-factor authentication, ability to share passwords securely with family and trusted friends, unlimited password storage (free versions may limit you to a set number of accounts).
There are quite a few password managers services available and you need to check out what they all offer and what you need them to do for you, but the following are worth investigating further.
LastPass
They say that they will remember all your passwords across every device for free. It’s a favourite amongst the guys in the office.
You will need to install its browser extension, create a strong master password and create a ’manager’ vault, where you add, view and manage items.
Their free plan allows access on all devices, one-to-one password sharing, generate and fills passwords, alerts you to weak passwords, has secure notes and multifactor authentication. But they also have other paid for plans for families, businesses and a premium plan with advanced multi-factor options.
1Password
Also used by members of our team. Currently has a free trial and then costs about £30 a year. For this you get access to unlimited devices, unlimited passwords, 1GB storage, two-factor authentication and a 365-day history to allow you to restore deleted passwords. It also has family and business plans.
Dashlane
It’s a free plan but only allows you to use it on one device storing up to 50 passwords with two-factor authentication, autofill form and payment details. Whilst its premium plan costs about £32 year it provides other benefits such as VPN protection, dark web monitoring etc. They also have family and business plans too.
RoboForm
They have a free version, available on a range of browsers only, which amongst many things will store an unlimited number of logins, auto fill web form, save password for application. It also has a strong encryption and emergency access.
Their paid for version allows access across all browsers and devices. cloud back up, two-factor authentication for around £20 per year. There is also a family version available for up to 5 users.
There are lots out there that are worth looking at. Both Keeper and 1Password provide free 30 day trials.
This may take a little bit of time to set up, but in the long run could save a lot of time resetting passwords and adds a good element to online security.
