Our privacy is not as secure as we think. This is especially true of online privacy. With each passing year, password security is growing ever more compromised. Given this state of affairs, the best way to protect user data from illegal or unwanted use is to make sure you have an extremely strong password. However, there are an increasing number of ways to access personal accounts and passwords to be created for various purposes, such as social media, email, mobile banking, applications, online stores, and more. Furthermore, it is almost impossible to remember several dozen different passwords, even complex ones. That is why users most often resort to one of two options:
Although these options are extremely unsafe, especially for companies, where the consequences of using weak passwords in production can be much more critical than for individuals. There are some quite expensive but effective IDM (Identity Management) solutions, but unfortunately, there is no time or allotted budget to implement such products. But there is one splendid enterprise solution.
Special programs called Password Managers help you generate unique, secure passwords, remember them, and store them. For companies with many employees, password managers are vitally useful, and the large numbers do not limit their functionality.
Functions of password managers:
Let’s review the most popular password managers.
1Password is an easy-to-use but very secure and powerful multifunctional password manager. This manager not only allows you to protect your data with a control password, like other alternatives but also supports login using a biometric scanner or phone. It syncs with OTP apps like Authy, YubiKey and Fido USB keys. It means that you install the application on your smartphone, and every time you need to access your passwords, you receive a one-time code. 1Password also has a built-in 2FA authenticator.
With this password manager, you can organize specific passwords into vaults and only allow specific team members access to each vault.
1Password scans the darknet and public databases for leaks of your accounts and financial data, checks your password storage for security, and generates strong passwords. And thanks to the Travel Mode option, you can easily remove sensitive passwords from storage to prevent anyone from accessing your data.
The program allows you to store passwords, documents, secure notes, and bank cards. It supports work without an Internet connection. This password manager enables you to share selected passwords with your friends and colleagues from among your trusted contacts. However, 1Password does not have a free version; it only has a limited-time trial period.
One more distinctive feature of 1Password password manager is the possibility of connection to third-party apps to add new users and manage their accounts. You can quickly invite everyone to 1Password through Slack and monitor how they log into their 1Password accounts when you link your team's Slack account to 1Password.
1Password offers four plans (Individual, Families, Team Starter Pack, Business) and is especially good for businesses with its SSO (Single Sign-On) authentication, which allows users to authenticate in multiple applications and websites securely by logging in only once with one set of credentials.
In addition to one of the most advantageous plans for businesses and individual users, 1Password greatly benefits family plans by allowing the addition of unlimited users to one account for a very low premium.
To sum up, here are also some advantages and disadvantages of 1Password:
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If you need dedicated support for your business, 1Password password manager, with its advantageous business plans, is the right solution.
Dashlane offers the best free plan on the market. Free password managers are usually very limited, but if you don't want to invest in a premium product, Dashlane Free is a good choice.
Like 1Password, Dashlane is also very secure, easy to use, and provides extensive unique features.
Dashlane has everything businesses need to manage their passwords, including 256-bit AES encryption, an intuitive employee dashboard, secure account recovery options and remote deletion, and a well-built and easy-to-use admin console. It makes the usual IT integration process more manageable, and employees can quickly understand how to operate all of Dashlane’s features.
It offers more security features than most paid services: the ability to store an unlimited number of passwords on a single device, auto-save and auto-fill features, password security auditing, and even unlimited password sharing.
With the Password Strength Audit feature in Dashlane, you can audit your entire password vault, and when weak, reused, or compromised passwords are detected, the program alerts you. Moreover, you can use a password generator to create hefty and impenetrable passwords.
Dashlane is the only password manager with a built-in VPN and provides access to a virtual private network (VPN).
Dashlane offers three plans (Advanced, Premium, Friends & Family) with different feature sets; it costs a little more than competitors but provides more features (including VPN with unlimited data).
To continue, here are the advantages and disadvantages of Dashlane.
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If you need a well-built and easy-to-use admin console that makes the usual IT integration process easier, Dashlane password manager is good about it.
Like its previous analogs, LastPass has similar features, advantages, and disadvantages, which we will present later. Now, we will describe some distinctive features that differentiate LastPass from its alternatives.
LastPass is a free password manager with a very intuitive admin dashboard and a wide range of admin tools that are all very easy to use. All your accounts are listed together so you can log in with just one click. This app has simple instructions and many easy-to-read icons to guide you in the right direction. All features are to better secure your passwords and credentials. LastPass also has a form filler that allows you to automate password entry. The plugin supports password generation, data sharing, and logging.
One more specific feature of the program is hidden in the security settings, where you can set up a multi-factor authentication (MFA) option, which includes biometric authentication (fingerprint and facial recognition), voice recognition, one-time password, SMS authentication, and mobile device push notifications (users receive a notification on their iOS or Android device allowing them to either Accept or Reject the access request).
One more unique feature of LastPass is the geofencing login policies. This feature restricts the geofenced area around the office, out of which the employees cannot log in to any work accounts.
LastPass password manager offers three plans for individual users and families (Free, Premium, and Families) and two business plans (Teams and Business) with benefits and pricing. To get more information about it, follow the link. Let’s sum up some common advantages and disadvantages of this password manager.
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If you want to use a free but powerful multifunctional password manager or to set up a multi-factor authentication (MFA) and even specific options such as geofencing login policies, use the LastPass password manager.
Bitwarden is an open-source password manager with a variety of additional features, including local data storage, password security auditing, data leak monitoring, and a built-in 2FA authenticator. It is a free password manager compatible with many web browsers, mobile apps, and networking sites. If you want maximum password security without straining your memory and wallet, Bitwarden is what you need.
The purpose of having a master password is to create a unique and difficult-to-guess password, which will open all apps and websites you add to your Bitwarden password vault. If you forget or lose access to your old password, it cannot be restored. You must delete your Bitwarden account and create a new one from scratch. To improve your security, this password manager uses an account fingerprint phrase. It permanently assigns five random words with a hyphen to your account and will always appear in one specific order.
A distinctive feature of this program is that Bitwarden is 100% open-source software. Bitwarden's source code is hosted on GitHub, and anyone is free to view, review, and contribute to Bitwarden's code.
Bitwarden password manager offers three personal plans: Free, Premium, and Families, and two Business plans, Teams and Enterprise, with benefits and pricing. You can also request a quote from Bitwarden for companies with hundreds or thousands of employees. Bitwarden also offers a good free plan, which helps you get unlimited password storage on an unlimited number of devices, as well as unlimited password sharing with one user. To get more information about pricing, follow this link.
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If you need an inexpensive open-source password manager, try Bitwarden.
Keeper is an intuitive password manager that provides a very high level of security: 256-bit AES encryption, a zero-knowledge policy, and many multi-factor authentication (MFA) options, including both basic (support for 2FA applications like Google Authenticator) and advanced (using biometric login on smartphones and smartwatches).
Keeper is not only a highly secure service but also extremely convenient. Keeper immediately prompts you to save all new passwords and complete web forms without errors. It's also very suitable for sharing logins with other users; with just one click, you can give other users more control over shared passwords.
Keeper’s secure messaging app, KeeperChat, is a user favorite. KeeperChat is an encrypted messenger that offers a variety of options for sending and receiving messages securely: you can bounce messages and save photos and videos to a private gallery.
Keeper provides more cloud storage than other password managers – 1Password, Dashlane, and other top competitors offer just 1GB of cloud storage per person. In comparison, Keeper provides 10GB of cloud storage on its family plan with the option to get an additional 100GB of storage (no other password manager offers such ample storage).
Keeper may seem quite expensive when you factor in all the extras, but it is one of the best-value password managers currently available. Keeper offers two levels of pricing: Personal Pricing (Protect Yourself and Your Family Best Affordable Password Manager) and Business Pricing (Business & Enterprise Pricing with Free Family Plan for team members).
Also, you can choose to add on more powerful features for superior protection, such as secure file storage, BreachWatch, and Concierge Service, or to get a quote from companies. To learn more about plans and offers, follow the link.
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If you need a top-notch password manager for secure communication, with ample cloud storage and a high level of security, Keeper is the most suitable password manager on the market.
This article just provided a few of the best password managers. There are also some other famous and useful programs and platforms, and here is a brief overview of them:
When discussing convenient business collaboration and a safe corporate password vault, along comes Passwork, an app that makes it easier to work with corporate passwords. It helps employees create a convenient folder-structure password vault, invite colleagues to shared folders, manage rights, and get reports on all activities. In addition, Passwork’s mobile application provides quick access to your corporate data whenever you need it.
Passwork is suitable for state enterprises as well as private businesses.
CyberArk is a global leader in Identity Security. CyberArk offers the most complete identity security platform for end-to-end protection of all identification data.
A key feature of CyberArk is the patented Digital Safe Box technology, which allows the exchange and storage of critical data without IT personnel access to the data itself. The system's modularity provides flexibility in the construction of the solution and the ability to keep up with business growth.
RoboForm is another free and easy-to-use password manager that generates and saves passwords, performs audits, and automates access to your websites. You can add six-digit code confirmations to RoboForm Authenticator using a QR scan and log in with one click.
Access keys are a new feature that allows you to securely access websites without passwords. With RoboForm, you can save and use access keys on all your devices.
As a relative newcomer, PassCamp impresses users with its security features. Moreover, this password manager is very easy to set up. PassCamp is a cross-platform solution, being a completely browser-based program with unlimited guests, which is great for teams. But compared to similar alternatives (for example, Bitwarden), PassCamp lacks certain features.
Sticky Password is another tool for securely storing confidential information. It also provides automatic login to sites and applications such as RoboForm. The browser's extension imports the saved passwords and stores new ones the first time you enter them.
Sticky Password is aimed primarily at individual use. The free version is suitable for working on one device, allowing you to save, generate, and automatically enter passwords. In this case, a backup copy can be created manually by exporting it to a file and saving it on a disk or removable media. If you have several devices, it is recommended that you purchase a Premium plan.
The storage uses AES-256 encryption, the key to which is the master password. On Android and iOS devices, entering it can be replaced by scanning your fingerprint.
In today's virtual world of the Internet and the threat of cyberattacks, securing personal and business data storage is essential. Here, password managers come to help with their advanced secure protection for your private support or business efficiency. Thanks to this article, we conclude that each password manager is unique and has plans with special offers and perks that best suit you or your company, but the choice is ultimately yours.