What are they, and why should you care?
One of the more recent additions to my lexicon of advice to – well, pretty much everyone – has been that Password Managers are king. While we typically suggest setting up LastPass, that’s jumping the gun a little. After all, it’s nice to know you should use it, but there is still a lot of confusion over what the heck it is. Besides, you may think, why should you pay to manage passwords if a binder or spreadsheet has been doing just fine?
For our purposes, let’s use LastPass as an example, since we recommend already specifically recommend it. First off, its primary purpose is to store all your passwords in a way that is both more secure and more convenient. But how does that work?
Security
It’s more secure because LastPass creates an encrypted database that stores your passwords and other data. Access to this database is then protected by a master password, which is your LastPass account password. But LastPass doesn’t save that password. Instead, they create what’s called a hash from your password and stores that instead. This can be very confusing, so just know that when (not if) LastPass gets breached, all the hacker gets is your name and email address, and nothing else. This means they don’t get passwords. They don’t even get payment info – they don’t store your credit card, either.
Convenience
It is also more convenient because LastPass can be installed both as a web browser extension and as a mobile app. This means you can get access to your computers from anywhere, not just the office; if you have a cell signal, you can still get access to your passwords. Now that beats binders or spreadsheets!
Both?
All that said, there’s another feature of LastPass that simultaneously improves both security and convenience: the ability to share passwords intelligently within a team or company. This means you no longer have to worry about letting various members know of password changes, nor do you have to make sure that they only have access to the passwords they need to do their jobs. LastPass can be configured to do all that heavy lifting for you, saving you stress and time, and ultimately money.
The power of LastPass doesn’t stop there, either. In addition to storing these passwords, you are also able to store other sensitive information to reduce your paper and email clutter. One of the nicer features is the ability to autofill passwords into text boxes to speed up logins to websites. This can even work for filling in credit card information while shopping online!
While there are many other benefits to LastPass than what I’ve written, hopefully this has helped illuminate the possibilities.
Thanks!
Interested in setting up LastPass, either for yourself or your company? If so, feel free to reach out for help!