If you have trouble remembering passwords, you are not alone. We’ve seen clients with passwords on sticky notes on their laptop or desk, clients with notepads in which they’ve written all their passwords, clients who can’t remember their passwords and keep needing to reset them, and clients who use the same password for everything.

If you can relate to any of these, or even if you can’t, a password manager might be the app you didn’t know you need.

Despite knowing about the importance of cyber security, many of us find it too hard to create and remember different, complex passwords for everything we log in to. This means that not only is there a risk of a hacker getting into one system, but also that they can get into a lot of them. For example, if your streaming app password is compromised and it is the same as your banking password, suddenly you have a lot more to lose. And as I point out in this video about the consequences of being a cyber attack victim, there is more at stake than just financial loss. This is why we recommend password managers to all our clients. And why they tell us it’s the best app they ever installed.

The main purpose of password management apps is to store all your usernames and passwords securely, so you only need to remember one “master” password to sign into everything. This means you can create complex, unique passwords for every single application or system that you need to access without having to worry about forgetting them, reducing your risk of someone gaining access to your systems and potentially stealing from you. This alone makes password managers one of the most useful applications you’ll use. But wait, there’s more!

As well as securely storing your log in details, here are some other great reasons to use a password manager:

• It can generate complex passwords for you
• It can be used for multi factor authentication where applications or websites allow 3^rd party authentication apps to be used
• It can auto-fill usernames and passwords and where in use, multi-factor authentication codes to make logging in quick and seamless:
  • Unlike saving passwords in a web browser, this feature can be used for many apps as well as websites
  • It is more secure than storing passwords in a web browser
  • It can also be used from any device it's installed on, so you can autofill sign-in details on your phone, tablet and PC
• You can create shared vaults so that family members or employees can access shared log-in information.

One concern many people have is that having all your passwords in one place is risky, however,  not all password managers are equal. Different password managers have different methods of encrypting data stored in the cloud. Unlike some popular password managers, 1Password has never been hacked, largely due to their solid architecture and strong encryption. You should always do your own research before implementing any security related technology. We’ve been using 1Password internally for 8 or 9 years and have no hesitation in recommending clients consider it as a strong candidate if looking to implement a password manager.

1Password and other password managers can be bought through the Apple and Google app stores. Or if you’re interested in knowing more, you can get in touch by using the Contact form on our website.