If you do pretty much anything on the Internet, you’ve likely got a whole bunch of passwords to manage, including those you use to access your bank, retirement fund, healthcare providers, online retailers, and even your company’s network. I counted how many passwords I need to manage (147 in my personal account alone) and was surprised by the number. I knew I had a lot, but that's more than this brain can handle.
The more accounts you have, the more passwords you need to manage (and we know better than to reuse them.) Some online accounts require changing passwords every three or six months. On top of this, you might have family members with whom you’d like to share some passwords, and be able to manage the process. This adds yet another layer of complexity, from sharing updated passwords to unexpected lockouts, and ultimately takes more time even though you’re just looking for easy, quick sharing.
What You Share, and What You Don’t
Sharing passwords – simply and securely – doesn’t have to be a hassle though. If you and your significant other have a joint bank account and one or more shared credit cards, you’ll both want to be able to same accounts, using the same password. Yet between you and your family, there’s a lot online you all need to access either with frequency or even in the rare case of an emergency. Being able to manage all of your passwords becomes even more important when it comes to keeping personal identities and financial data safe and sound. Let’s take your kids, for example. Today’s children have only known a world with Internet and touch devices, which makes them voracious Internet consumers. Here’s just a sample of the types of online accounts that you own, but your children frequently access:- Online app stores: Free apps, paid apps, and the ever easy to buy in-app purchases that have gotten more than a few children in hot water after an unintentional buying spree.
- Gaming portals: Everyone wants their own Wii or Xbox login to access their unique gamer profiles, even Dad. Gaming consoles also serve as content centers, with the ability to download apps like Hulu and YouTube.
- Cable TV: Parental controls are useful, but when it comes to content subscriptions like HBO Go, you may want to hold passwords close. Access to HBO Families, sure, Game of Thrones, absolutely not.
- Wi-Fi: Everyone in the house old enough to reach a keyboard, and folks who come to visit, need to use your Wi-Fi. And you probably don’t want to offer free Internet access to your neighbors, so you need a password that’s accessible as well as secure.
- School portals: Your child may need to download a homework assignment while you might need to sign her up for extracurricular activities.
- Netflix, Hulu and the rest: Accounts with these content providers and their ever-expanding roster of original content are among the most popular to share. Even with friends and family who live elsewhere. (They’re still family, right?)
- Tablets and laptops: Families who share the same device often have separate accounts, while you’d likely want to be able to monitor what your child sees and does online.