Secure passwords, do you use them? It’s vitally important to your business. As I started my business, I quickly got overwhelmed with all the usernames and passwords I was creating. I had a text file where I recorded everything but even that was getting too long to find anything. Creating the passwords themselves even got complicated – uppercase, lowercase, numbers, number of characters and maybe symbols.
Then I found LastPass. It securely stores your usernames and passwords for you. All you have to remember is your LastPass password (best to write that one down, if you forget it, you’ll never get in. I’m serious). LastPass also has a password generator built right in. Awesome!
You can even organize your passwords in groups. I have one for personal, my business and each client. The best part is – it’s FREE. Yes, there is a Premium version (there always is, right?). You can compare the versions and see what works best for you. The paid version is $2 per month. Not too bad.
Get organized and never forget a password again! AND, feel safe knowing that your passwords are saved encrypted and that they are also secure passwords (uppers, lowers, numbers, etc.).
Next thoughts on security
Do you use a VPN (virtual private network)? What’s that you say? When you are out and about, let use a coffee shop as an example, and you use your phone, tablet or laptop someone could be getting access to your user IDs and passwords. Yikes! A VPN will encrypt your information and help keep it private to you. I don’t work in public without it.
I use TunnelBear as my VPN. You can try it (and continue to use it) for free if you don’t need it for a lot of data. I started there and then upgraded to their Grizzly subscription. I like it because it is easy to use and I could install it on all my devices.
Do you need more information about VPNs? Here are two posts that do a great job of explaining it:
How do you keep your passwords organized and secure?