Using a Password Manager Can Keep Your Accounts Secure

It’s true that if they are created to be secure, passwords are hard to remember. There is also no denying, however, how important it is to use different ones for each account, all sufficiently complex. If you are doing things right, you probably have too many passwords to remember, which is why a password management system is a solid tool. This month, let’s take a look at the password management system.

What is a Password Management System?

A password manager is effectively a program that stores and protects your passwords. It’s that simple. The average person has to remember over 175 separate passwords, and sometimes you either don’t use the account connected with that password enough to warrant remembering it, or your passwords are just too complicated to remember. Either way, having a secure database of all your passwords is a good resource to have.

What Should I Look For From a Password Manager?

Since they are pretty straightforward programs and your needs in this matter are pretty pragmatic, there are only a couple of variables you need to consider. They include:

Security

While this may seem obvious, not all of your password management options will offer the same protections or do things the same way. Standalone password managers are inherently more secure than those tied to your browser, for instance. 

These separate solutions usually have additional features to assist in keeping your passwords secure. A solid password manager will rate your passwords and help you manage your credentials so that you have the best chance to stay secure. All of them will include two-factor authentication, and some will even notify you to update your passwords regularly. 

A password manager should feature security options such as built-in encryption, role-based access, and secure cloud storage.

Where to Store this Information?

Another important variable you should consider is the location you plan to store your passwords in. Does the password manager you’ve chosen to use save your passwords to the cloud, or are they kept natively on the device? Not that it makes a major difference, but hosting this information on your own hardware requires that you have a redundancy plan in place so all of your credentials aren’t completely lost in the event of a hardware failure.

Usability

These programs are pretty much the same, so usability is the last thing you should worry about, but the simpler the better. The password manager should provide easy access for verified users and make it impossible to access for anyone else. It should give you a relatively simple process to change your global password and edit saved accounts, but beyond that, it only needs to do what it was designed for, to secure your access credentials. 

If you would like to talk to one of our IT professionals about password management, managers, or other authentication-related issues, reach out to Washington Works today at 301-571-5040.