Why You Need a Password Manager

We deal with a wide array of businesses and have observed that most all of them struggle with managing the security of their data.

You may have noticed the dramatic increase in the number of large scale security attacks and data breaches since 2013.  You’re probably also hearing that you need to change your passwords to various online accounts to protect yourself agains hackers who’ve potentially stolen your login information.

When you couple that with the ever increasing number of online accounts you have it becomes nearly impossible to manage.  Just creating a secure password can be a challenge. The more secure they are, the harder they are to type in, let alone remember.

So, what can you do? The good news is there are now several reputable software solutions referred to as “Password Managers” to address this problem.  Here is a short video from the Wall Street Journal that gives a good overview of how they work.

I personally use Dashlane and have found it to be easy to use.  The increased security and time savings I achieve using this tool far out weighs it’s yearly service fee for me.  Dashlane also syncs your passwords across all your PCs and mobile devices which is very helpful when trying to access an account when you are away from your primary computer.

PC Magazine also did a nice review of several password managers that you might find helpful.

Keeping your online identity secure is a multi-faceted process that requires:

  • use of strong unique passwords for all online accounts,
  • regular updating of passwords,
  • up to date versions of all software across all your computing devices,
  • up to date antivirus software,
  • an automated off site backup solution that you’ve tested to make sure it works before you need it,
  • and a healthy skepticism towards unsolicited requests to update your account information with any online vendor.

In short, you have to manage your security which is time consuming and often frustratingly hard to do.

Password managers have evolved to the point that they do much of the heavy lifting for you, freeing up more time and mental overhead.

Most password managers offer a free version or a free trial of their premium version of their software. Why not give one a try?  I think you will be glad you did.

Additional Security Resources:

Thanks for reading.