They serve much more than store them

The Password managers They have become essential tools for our security, especially taking into account the amount of services to which we are signed and their ability to generate Unique passwords and difficult. However, in addition to saving passwords, their customers offer much more useful services than we think. And it is that password managers can become the command center of all our digital identity, storing from banking data to official and safe way official documents.

Increasingly essential. In general, our perception usually revolves around what they serve only for what its name says: manage passwords. However, applications such as NordPass1Password, Dashlane or Bitwardenamong many others, are designed as authentic digital strengths capable of protecting any sensitive information that we need to have at hand. The problem is that many users ignore these additional functions or that we do not completely trust to centralize such critical information in a single place.

Beyond passwords. Modern managers allow to store virtually any data that requires safety and fast access. From credit card numbers and bank data to passport numbers, driving licenses, access codes or relevant medical information. They can also save complete documents: wills, birth certificates, property titles or insurance policies. In addition, the advantage is that we have everything very hand. And if we are doing any management and we want to access the information, everything is there with a couple of clicks.

More than comfort: planning. Unifying all our information goes beyond personal convenience. And it is that a password manager can also become a fundamental tool for family planning and succession. In case of death or disability, relatives can access all critical information from a single point, avoiding the nightmare of tracking accounts, documents and data scattered into leaves and corners of the house. In addition, many managers include emergency access functions that allow you to designate trust contacts that can access the content after a verification period.

The question of security. There is a generalized fear that makes all the meaning of the world: is it really safe to concentrate such sensitive information in one place? The answer, from the technical point of view, is resounding: yes. Professional password managers use zero knowledge architectures (Zero-Knowledge), which means that only your master password can decipher the content. Not even company employees can access your data. This protection far exceeds the assurance of having dispersed information in less safe applications or, worse, stored in mobile notes or unbridled documents.

Of course, as we have been mentioning, it is completely logical to have doubts about whether to store all our critical information in a single place is safe. After all, it is a computer system, and like any other, It is not perfectso there can always be a risk that this system ends up violated, either through a security gap greater than the company, or through social engineering through a third party, among other causes.

First steps. Although the transition to save all our relevant information in a password manager can take some time, the benefit once invested that time is immediate. Nor do you have to do everything on the pull, you can add information as you remember, start with things you use daily: card data, access codes, travel information, documents scanned in PDF, etc. The key is to use descriptive titles and take advantage of the categories offered by these applications to maintain everything organized and easily located.

What manager to choose. In addition to those offered by companies such as Google or Apple in their own devices and browsers, there is a whole range of third -party password managers. I personally prefer to have a password manager than is not linked to my Google or Apple accountsimply as additional security layer. In addition, the manager’s master password would be convenient for you to never point or keep it anywhere, but always keep it in your head.

We have already mentioned some such as NordPass, 1Password, Dashlane, Bitwarden, etc. They are very safe options that offer extra flexibility and functions. Some are more expensive than others, depending on whether or not they agree with those extra functions, but the truth is that they are highly effective. In addition, if we can have the manager on several devices, such as a PC and a mobile, better than better.

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