Words for your business – passwords

Passwords are the unsung word heroes of your business.

passwords

We don’t notice them, unless they don’t let us pass.

Who would have thought that the word “password” is used as a password?  It brings to mind some fiendish plot on behalf of the unscrupulous organisation which is cleverly hacked by our moral hero.  However the hacker usually has to outwit the password and come up with some clever association.  Not just the word “password” which is one of the most popular passwords.

How to love your passwords.

1. Keep a record of your passwords on a spreadsheet, notebook, file or software.  And don’t call the file Passwords.

It can be very easy to forget them and sometimes the hassle of generating a new password encourages you to use the same one.

2.  Keep your passwords together with related information.  If it is the password of a product or service you have bought for your business it is an even better idea to record what you paid, when you bought it, together with url’s  all in the same place.  As well as needing this for your taxes, it helps you to make sure you use the products and get a return on your investment.

Image via Wikipedia

3. Choose passwords that are “strong” ie 8 characters long and include some letters and some numbers. Very often you will be told about the strength of your password by the software, but it is better to have a default plan.

4.  Have a number of variations which you can use, so you are not always using random passwords.

Weak passwords include the word “password” as well as straightforward sequences of numbers.  If any of your passwords are in the Top Ten of weak passwords change them!