Tech Tip - April - 1Password - Protect Yourself and Your Information with 1Password
Almost everything we do now requires a password to use when online. Think about all of the applications you have on your phone. Many of those require a login and password to begin. Then, think about the websites you visit or shop from - all require a user name and password. It can become overwhelming to try to remember all of the different pieces of information you need for these sites. In many cases we try to make it simple on ourselves (who doesn’t want that) and we use the same passwords for multiple (if not all) sites so that we can keep track of it. Unfortunately that is where most people open themselves up for potential fraud and identity theft.Fortunately, there are solutions that can help with this problem. If you do not have a password manager for all of your devices, I would recommend you immediately do so. There are several good ones available. I will provide some ideas at the end of this article, but today, I want to talk about the password manager I use - 1Password.1Password is based on the concept of only needing to remember one password to remember them all. It is a vault of your important information that can be unlocked by only remembering one thing to gain access to your data. One of the best things about 1Password is the fact that it can protect multiple pieces of information, not just your online passwords. You simply create one password that is very strong. This could be a sentence or phrase that you will find easy to remember, but would be difficult for anyone else to guess. Once you have that set up, 1Password will remember everything else for you. You only need to remember that one phrase to gain access to all of your other passwords. That will allow you to create unique and strong passwords for all of the sites and software you use.
Use 1Password wherever you are
First and foremost, 1Password is a password manager. You can enter all of your different application and online login and passwords securely into the application. One thing that is necessary for any password manager is the ability to access the information anywhere you are. 1Password has you covered in this regard. They make applications for every situation. There is an iOS version that works for iPhones, iPads, and even iPod Touches. You can use 1Password natively on a Mac or Windows platform. And finally, they have a web application that can be used from any device that has internet access. 1Password also has browser extensions for the most popular web browsers as well - Safari, Firefox, Chrome, and Opera that makes it even easier to use within your web browser. That is about as robust as it can get in terms of where you may need to remember a password - so regardless if you use Apple devices, Windows devices, Android devices, or a combination of all, 1Password will work for you.
Keep passwords safe
1Password makes it easy to keep your information safe and secure. All of your logins are stored alphabetically with any information you provide. It can be as simple as the user name and password. Or, you can add the website, any notes, or other information you want to keep associated with that specific login.When you sign up for any new site, it is easy to add that information right into 1Password. Typically, a pop up will appear on your screen when entering a site that is not already in your 1Password vault. This allows you to save the information from that point. 1Password will even generate a strong password for you from this pop-up. This will ensure you have very secure passwords and prevents you from having to think of something new and different every time. Because all of your passwords are unlocked with your one strong and unique password to unlock your vault, you don’t have to try and remember all of these other random passwords.
Secure notes
In addition to providing a place to safely store and maintain your online accounts and passwords, 1Password allows you to store secure notes. This is excellent for important documents related to banking, financial, or retirement accounts. You can place almost anything in this area. It remains separate from your logins so you can easily find your documents or information without having to wade through all of your other online account information.
Secure other important information
Beyond secure notes, 1Password provides multiple other categories in which you can add secure information. These include credit cards, government issued IDs, other documents, software licenses, and more. I find this very useful to have all of this information in one place that I can trust to be secure. You can upload documents, take pictures to attach them to the rest of the information. It is as simple as attaching a picture or file to an email. Best of all, I have access to that information across all of my devices, wherever I am. This has come in handy on more than one occasion. And, you can share it with other people, such as your family.
Keep your entire team or family protected
Another excellent feature of 1Password is the ability to connect your family to your account. This allows two things to happen - 1) ensures your family is also secure with their password activities and 2) you can share passwords for common accounts across all members of the family. 1Password allows you to set up different ‘vaults’ to store your passwords. That way you can choose which accounts you want to share the information instead of allowing every family member to see all of you accounts.Similar to family sharing, you can also utilize 1Password in a business environment and set up a team of people or your entire business. More information about setting this up is available on the 1Password site. Knowing that you can use the same password manager for work and personal accounts will make it that much easier to develop healthy password behaviors.
Keeping you safe
1Password has additional features designed to keep your information safe for the long-term as well. Features such as WatchTower notify you if any sites you use have been compromised. This will allow you to change your password to ensure that your data and information will remain secure. It offers two-factor authentication as well. I highly recommend this function - 1Password or not, especially for your most sensitive information. This ensure that when a password is being changed or you are logging in after an extended period away that you receive a second notice to login in on a separate device. 1Password can alert you to weak or duplicate passwords as well. This is very helpful when you initiate your transition to 1Password. The app makes it easy to sign in to the site right from your vault, make the change to your password and update it for the future.1Password pricing starts for as little as $2.99 per month or for as low as $4.99 for your entire family. They also offer team and business options if you are looking to provide the security of a good password manager for your business and employees.
There are several other password managers available for use on any platform and devices. Regardless of whether you utilize 1Password, I cannot stress enough how important it is to use a good password manager to ensure that you are protecting yourself and your information. I have only scratched the surface in what 1Password or any other password security manager can do, so continue your research at some of these recommended providers or resources listed below.
Other Password Apps
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