Switchfast Blog: The Future of IT
Passwords and Privacy: 5 Password Manager Options
Monday, May 03, 2010 by Bryan Anderson
Last week, we revealed a few tips on how to better manage
your privacy, which included password management and securing
private content. Today, an article over at lifehacker.com helps to
elaborate on our third tip of that article, which talked about
using a secure online password manager if you have an enormous
amount of passwords across multiple platforms.
The article highlights their five best password managers to keep
an organized grasp on which key goes to which lock. Let's look at
the five that they recommend and see where they fit (if at all) in
a small business operation.
1.
KeePass - Available for Windows, Mac, Linux, and
Mobile, free of charge, this open-source option supports automatic
password generation, field and icon customization, secure notes,
and password entry via clipboard copying, drag and drop, or auto
fill-in. This program also offers exporting formats, which means
you can print hard copies for backup or secure your passwords in an
offline location.
2.
LastPass - Available for Windows, Mac, Linux, and
Mobile, free of charge for Basic or $1/month for Premium, LastPass
is relatively new to the password management market but with an
easy-to-use interface, along with cross-platform integration,
there's no surprise why this program is quickly gaining popularity.
(Not to mention, $1/month isn't too shabby for a premium account.)
It's truly a well-developed online system - setting up one-time use
passwords for those times you want to access your online password
database but you're not sure if the connection is safe.
3.
Roboform - Available for Windows, free of charge
for Basic or $29.95 for Pro, RoboForm has established its solid
reputation on integration with popular web browsers. One feature
allows you to quickly fill out registration forms with
pre-determined names and email addresses. Along with random
password generation and hard copy backup availability, this is
another solid choice to secure those important passwords.
4.
SplashID - Available for Windows, Mac, and Mobile,
$19.95 for the Desktop and $9.95 for the Mobile, SplashID utilizes
its multi-platform manager capabilities to sync to your desktop and
several mobile versions including iPhone, Android, and Blackberry.
Another unique feature is the ability to create customized entry
fields, allowing for private data other than passwords to be stored
and safe.
5.
1Password - Available strictly for Apple users
(Mac OS X/iPhone), $39.95 for the Desktop and $14.95 for the
Mobile, this password manager supports sync to iPhone and iPad via
the mobile application. 1Password offers integration with Evernote
and Safari and a "tag-based" system for easy login
organization.
Evaluate your current "password" usage and figure out if a
management program would benefit you in the long run to avoid
compromising your privacy and data.
Do you use a different program for password management? Leave a
comment with your suggestions and opinions. All links to the
discussed password managers can be found in this article.
Until Next Time -
Matthew Hymel
Switchfast Technologies
Chicago IT Support &
Consulting
Rochester
IT Support & Consulting
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