7 Essential Features of a Best Password Manager

A password manager is a typical software that enables you to organize your user name, password or PIN in an encrypted format and also the chosen URLs for a safe and secure logon to systems, application data files, networks and web sites and their retrieval when required. All such data will be controlled by a confidential ‘Master Password’ to encrypt or decrypt your data within. Thus, the password manager eases you from the hurdle of remembering (and often forgetting and ‘fighting’ to retrieve) the user ID and passwords for different sites/ email ids. The added advantage is that it prevents hackers from tapping your confidential information. Just remember that master forward and forget all other passwords.

A best password manager should have the following 7 features

1. Encryption: It should use some encryption algorithm to encrypt your logon data. If the username and passwords are in unencrypted format, i.e. clear text, anybody will be tempted to play with it, which may land you in trouble.

2. Ease of Use: It may be included in the tool bar of your browser. When you save the data therein, it should be able to memorize the URL, user name, password and other selected details, if any. It should have the flexibility to be renamed as and when required for different purposes say for Paypal, Hotmail, Citibank, etc. It should be so convenient that when you select the entry in the toolbar, it should allow you to log in there automatically, without requiring you to do the cumbersome ‘drag and drop’ your username and/or password.

3. Portability: The user names and passwords should be able to be stored in some external hard drive or pen drive or iPod or, memory flash card. It means that these confidential data may be exported to another computer.

4. Compatibility with Your Browser: Ensure that the password manages should be compatible with FireFox or Opera browser also, besides Internet Explorer.

5. Built-in Password Generator is another feature towards a security point of view, thus preventing the possible hijackers from barging into and meddling with your account.

6. Ability to Modify Password

When there is a change in the logon fields or the URL, your password manager should be able to adapt them to have the latest changes saved to it.

7. Built-in Form Filler (though not a necessary feature) will be an added advantage, since your personal information will get transformed into the online forms, at the click of the mouse.

Management of passwords is a discernible challenge, confronted by the security administrators, service desk personnel and users. Main issues involved here are the synchronization of passwords between all the systems, secure authentication, reset if passwords and OS level account lockouts. Besides, a best password manager will have the features like BYOD Enabled, Multi-factor Authentication, OS Unlock, Active Directory Integration, Multi tenant Architecture, Synchronization.

What Are Merits Of Using Single Sign On Software In Enterprises?

Authentication is a big factor that is concerned more about in business, especially in financial sectors, banking domains and Insurance verticals. Authentication of information is more needed in large business sectors. Authorization is another process that is completely different from that of authentication. The term authentication recognizes who you are and the term authorization defines what you are allowed to do or the defining of what you allow others to do. Here the concept is about use of Single Sign on Software and this single sign-on is shortly known by the term SSO. This SSO is an authentication type of process that allows a user to enter and access multiple applications using a single name or user. SSO has authentication mechanism that internally translates to and store the user details which is related to the initial level of authentication.

Single Sign on Software acts as an Administrator to the enterprise portals. Considering in any organization the employees will be authorized for limited access to their internet. In case if a group of node installed SSO than if any individual request for a any higher access application or information than a direct token on request will be received by a Single sign on software. SSO checks for a token and allows an employee to access the link or information without making them Sign on. That means an ID and a password will not be shared with any individual. SSO acts as a head and drives the team without sharing a password, but it provides access for a request.

If your organization is designed by Single sign on Software, than a each request token ok an individual will be received by SSO. In turn single sign on solution creates uniformity maintenances of authorization and authentication in your enterprises. A better track on point to point session can be glanced for security reporting and auditing. One more advantageous work done by single sign on solution is when an employee click on a different URL. Each time of URL request by a user will be tracked in SSO separate browser traffic, security server and the web server. So this traffic graph provides a performance and a usage of a link. Apart from this, Single Sign on software reduces the IT costs, instead of providing authorization to each desk call; if a node of a system is well designed with SSO it completely lowers password call. Single Sign on Software also makes a note of an individual if you try to access the credential data more than once.