Using A Password Manager

With the vast amount of secure, sensitive, or private information stored online and on business servers, there are endless warnings about the importance of strong and secure passwords, and using different passwords for each of your accounts. Passwords need to be difficult to guess for hackers and impossible for random computer programs to create. There are tons of ideas of how to create strong passwords, including using random letters, numbers and symbols, words that can’t be found in the dictionary, and using lower and uppercase letters.

With all the precautions, it’s often hard to remember your passwords when you have need of them. Add to this the fact that you are not supposed to write them down, and most of us just can’t keep all our passwords straight. In the end, if you have a strong password and can’t remember it, what good does it actually do you and your business?

To solve this problem, there are password manager programs. A password manager program is one that generates random passwords for all your different accounts and then securely stores that information.

How does it work? When you sign up for a password manager program, you’re given a master user name and password. Then, whenever you go to a site that needs a password, instead of creating a unique on for that site, you simply type in your master user name and password. If it’s a new account, the password manager program will automatically create a password for you for that site. If it has already been created, the program will automatically enter your information. It can also be set up to automatically input your personal information, such as address, phone number, etc. A good password manager program will interface between all your technology, including your mobile devices.

The difference between a password manager program and a browser-based password manager (like the ones in Chrome, Firefox, and Explorer) are that password manager programs store your information in encrypted files. This adds an important layer of protection that doesn’t exist in the browser programs.

If you’re concerned about always having strong and secure passwords for your business files and accounts (and don’t want to forget them all), consider using a password manager program. It’ll help make sure all your files remain safe and private.