In today’s episode of IT in Plain English, Tammy Ven Dange answers, “What’s a Password Manager or a Password Locker?”
A password manager or a password locker is an application that you install on a device (like a computer or phone). It allows you to safely manage all of your usernames and passwords from one location.
This means you only have to remember one password to open the locker and most of these lockers will automatically fill in your details for each website, regardless of which device you use. The lockers encrypt your user information and often prompt you to have a much more complex password than you can normally remember.
While you might think this is overkill for your organisation, especially if you already use Single Sign On through Microsoft Azure (see this video for that explanation: What is Single Sign-On? – Roundbox Consulting), I highly recommend the use of a locker for teams that would normally share a password like your Marketing and Communications department for social media sites.
This is also important for Business Continuity and security when a key team member leaves with all the passwords stored in their head or notebook.
There are dozens of options on the market such as 1Password and LastPass. And some of them even have a free version.
So, there you have it in plain English.
If you have an IT question you want answered, feel free to connect with me here on my website or on LinkedIn and send me a message. I just might answer it on this show.
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Tammy Ven Dange is a former charity CEO, Not for Profit Board Member and IT Executive. Today she helps NFPs with strategic IT and data decisions.