Why is a paid-for password manager tool essential for your business

We wouldn’t be able to do much without passwords and losing them doesn’t bear thinking about. Password Management tools are being used by more and more businesses, to ensure their accounts are kept secure. As with many tools, there are plenty of free-to-use Password Managers available. But why is a paid-for tool an essential for your business and what can it do that a free Password Manager won’t?

Peace of mind for your business

We all live in a world where remote working is common and information such as passwords might need to be shared between users. It is imperative they are kept safely. By using a Password Manager, you’ll achieve that immediately. However, if you choose a free version, it brings a few concerns to mind.

Firstly, what are you missing from your free version? The biggest risk with any free Password Manager is what functionality is being removed from it. Some free versions do not have any kind of cloud-sync so you’re not receiving a back-up of your passwords, while others can’t sync between multiple devices. Paid-for versions allow the user to have an app on their phone, tablet, laptop, meaning regardless of what device you’re able to access, you’ll be able to reach the whole list of your passwords securely.

Secondly, in using a Password Manager, you’re placing a lot of trust in a tool’s level of security. While all Password Managers will have complex security features to help secure your data, in adopting a free one, you’ve got to ask yourself, how much do you actually think the level of security in a free version will keep your passwords safe and secure from hackers? In paying for a tool, there’s been an exchange of money for goods and services, and as a consumer, you will feel more comfortable that your data will remain protected.

Paid-for offers full functionality

By paying for a Password Manager, you’re receiving the full version, with nothing taken away, unable for you to use as is the case with many free tools. Keeper is the top-rated password management tool available and comes packed with features that will help ensure your business remains cyber safe.

• BreachWatch® by Keeper: BreachWatch scans employees’ Keeper vaults for passwords that have been exposed on the Dark Web from a public data breach. If a password is found, the user is notified to take action. The administrator is also informed whether that employee has resolved the exposed password or ignored it — reducing the overall cyber threat to a business.
• Security Audit Score and Reporting: KeeperMSP provides visible password security. Through robust reporting and auditing tools, internal controls are enforced and compliance standards are maintained.
• Admin Console: distributes, manages and monitors KeeperMSP across the entire organisation. This ensures passwords remain safe, through the usage of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and other data security policies.

Choose the experts

Recently, there have been a wave of free Password Managers, offered by the likes of Google and Facebook (through WhatsApp). It’s clear to see why these tech giants have branched out into offering tools. If a user visits Google or uses WhatsApp each day, they’re a lot more likely to use the free offering from a company they feel familiar with.

However, in doing so, you have to ask yourself, with businesses like Google and WhatsApp, what is their motivation? These organisations make their money by using data on how their users work and behave online. While we are not suggesting they will be looking at your passwords, because they won’t be, you’re still feeding into what they know about you as a user and your business on a wider scale.

In choosing a specific password management tool, such as Keeper, you are placing your secure passwords into the hands of those with extreme expertise in the field — experts with no hidden agenda. These products will have more useful features for businesses, that have safety and, importantly, productivity at the heart of them.

Keeper generates strong, random passwords, before automatically filling them out for users, when needed, helping to reduce the amount of time spent within a password management system. While Google and WhatsApp might have free Password Managers that are more easily accessible, in entrusting an expert such as Keeper, you will be keeping your business’ data more secure.