Passive About Password Security? How to Start Using LastPass Now

When someone first hears of a password manager, they often wonder if they really need one. How exactly will the features help me? Will it prevent me from reusing passwords, or will it just get in my way? Do I have time for this, or am I better off doing what I've always done? We chatted with Gwen Garcia, a LastPass Enterprise Customer Success Manager, about her journey from reluctant user to LastPass evangelist and how she translates her personal experiences into actionable advice for others thinking about using LastPass.

1. Realize the status quo is inconvenient

More robust password security is something people recognize is essential but sometimes struggle to put into action. Sometimes it's a mental block; sometimes, it's just a lack of time.  "LastPass was always just another item on my to-do list," said Gwen. "I saw a few messages from corporate with security buzzwords about using a password manager. It was a security box I needed to 'check,' but it never seemed urgent enough. So, I reused a lot of passwords in my personal life. I relied on Chrome and my memory to haphazardly manage my passwords."   But it was getting more difficult to track all of those passwords, and Gwen's system wasn't the most secure. "The downside of using Chrome to manage passwords is no access to those passwords outside of Chrome. So, I reused the same passwords. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to remember or find a generated one when I was on my phone or another browser."  As Gwen became more aware of the inconveniences of her "system" for managing passwords, she realized it was time to make a change.

2. Start with a password import

A significant part of her resistance to getting started? Assuming it would take a long time. "I thought moving all my passwords into a manager would be a pain," Gwen explained. "I had so many passwords. Some were in Chrome, and some were tied to Face ID and Apple Keychain. I wasn't sure I could remember them all and type them all up in a password manager. But once I learned about automatic password import to upload and organize everything, it ended up being extremely simple." Importing passwords proved to be a turning point. The quick import process helped Gwen immediately see the benefits of having her passwords in one easy-to-use vault. She also realized just how insufficient her password security had been all those years. "I was shocked I hadn't been hacked yet," Gwen mused.

3. Build one new habit on top of the next

After importing her passwords, Gwen's use of LastPass took off.  First, she used the password generator to update each password. Next, she re-checked her password health in the Security Dashboard to see how her scores had improved. After that, she installed the LastPass app on her phone, which meant "no more having to search for a password when opening some random window or app." "It felt like a super satisfying spring clean-up," said Gwen. "I loved the ability to adjust the length and character requirements in the password generator as I updated my accounts. And, as a Type A personality, being able to see all of my credentials neatly organized in the vault is a big win. I'm also a fan of Dark Web Monitoring."  Just talking to Gwen, it's clear these changes brought her relief and confidence in handling her online security. First, importing passwords and generating new ones helped her gain familiarity with the password manager. From there, she graduated to other features like the Security Dashboard and Dark Web Monitoring to take her password security to the next level. 

4. Understand the psychology at play

If you ask Gwen why she was reluctant to get started with LastPass, she'll tell you it was because of "ignorance of or indifference to the real security risks, fear of change, and lack of incentive to change."  She's not alone. Most people resist a password manager for the same reason. But a steady stream of information highlighting the dangers of weak passwords compared to the benefits of a password manager can change minds.  "I went from seeing LastPass as a corporate mandate to just a part of daily life," says Gwen. "Habits are hard to change. But now that I've replaced old password habits with new ones, I don't even really think about password security anymore. LastPass just works." Ready to make the change? Take the next step to get started with a password manager and make LastPass a part of your daily routine.