Password encryption is essential to store user credentials stored in a database securely. Without password encryption, anyone accessing a user database on a company's servers (including hackers) could easily view any stored passwords.
Even a strong 32-character password created using a <a href="https://teampassword.com/password-generator">secure password generator</a> is useless without password-encryption! If someone can read your password on a server, they can use it simply by copy/pasting it&mdash;no matter how long or complicated the password might be!
Encryption scrambles your password before saving it on the server. So, if someone hacks the server, instead of finding password123, they find a random series of letters and numbers.
In this article, we're going to explore the world of password encryption, why <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/tips-and-tricks-to-create-a-strong-password">strong passwords matter</a>, and how you can practice better password management!
<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">TeamPassword</a> is the password management solution for small businesses! Create, store, and share login credentials safely with employees, contractors, and clients. <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">Sign up for a 14-day free trial</a> today!
&rlm;&rlm;&lrm; &lrm;[Table of Contents]
<ul>
<li><a href="#understandingpasswordencryption" rel="follow">Understanding Password Encryption</a></li>
<li><a href="#howdoespasswordencryptionwork" rel="follow">How Does Password Encryption Work?</a></li>
<li><a href="#5commonpasswordencryptionmethods" rel="follow">5 Common Password Encryption Methods</a></li>
<li><a href="#whystrongpasswordsmatter" rel="follow">Why Strong Passwords Matter</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="understandingpasswordencryption">Understanding Password Encryption</h2>
To explain password encryption effectively, we must first grasp the language. Several terms might be unfamiliar, so here is a quick intro to password encryption terminology.
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Key: Used to lock and unlock passwords using a random string of bits. You get private and public keys that crypt and decrypt data differently, but we won't get too deep in the weeds with keys!</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Bits: A logical state with one of two possible values, including 1/0, true/false, yes/no, or on/off as typical examples.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Block (block cipher): A deterministic algorithm operating on fixed-length groups of bits, called blocks.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Hash function: The algorithm that uses the key to create password encryption and decryption. A hash function is essentially a piece of code that runs every time someone saves a password or logs into an application.&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Hash: A random series of numbers and letters representing your password. The hash function uses your hash instead of the raw password for authentication.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Salt: Additional letters and numbers appended to the hash</li>
</ul>
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<h2 id="howdoespasswordencryptionwork">How Does Password Encryption Work?</h2>
When you save a new password, a hash function creates a hash version and saves that on the server.&nbsp;
Every time you log in using your password, the hash function recreates the hash to see if it matches what's stored. If the hashes match, the algorithm passes the authentication and logs you in.&nbsp;
For example:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Original password: Pa$$w0rd123</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Hashed password: 6AF1CE202340​FE71BDB914AD5357​E33A6982A63B</li>
</ul>
While this might seem secure, simple hashed passwords aren't hack-proof.
The hash function only creates a unique hash for each password, not each user. So, if multiple users have the password, Pa$$w0rd123, the hash will be exactly the same.
To overcome this encryption vulnerability, engineers salt passwords so each hash is unique, even if the passwords are identical.
<h3>How Salt Works</h3>
A salt appends a unique value of 8 bytes (16 characters) to the password before the hash function creates a hash. This way, even identical passwords are unique before the hash function.
For example:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Two identical passwords: Pa$$w0rd123</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Salt value one: E1F53135E559C253</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Salt value two: 84B03D034B409D4E</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Password one before hash: Pa$$w0rd123E1F53135E559C253</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Password two before hash: Pa$$w0rd12384B03D034B409D4E</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Password one hashed value (SHA256): 72AE25495A7981​C40622D49F9A52E4F15​65C90F048F59027BD9​C8C8900D5C3D8</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Password two hashed value (SHA256): B4B6603ABC670​967E99C7E7F1389E40​CD16E78AD38EB1468E​C2AA1E62B8BED3A</li>
</ul>
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<h2 id="5commonpasswordencryptionmethods">5 Common Password Encryption Methods</h2>
<h3>1. Data Encryption Standard (DES)</h3>
While applications no longer use Data Encryption Standard (DES), it's important to mention this password encryption method because of its history and influence on more secure modern standards.
IBM developed DES as a 56-bit encryption technology in the early 1970s. The NSA adopted and improved DES before it was approved worldwide as the encryption standard.
However, since the late 70s, hackers have been able to break DES encrypted passwords. In 1999, ethical hackers managed to break a DES key in under 24 hours.&nbsp;
To make DES more secure, engineers created Triple DES and later Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), which we still use today.
<h3>2. Triple DES</h3>
Triple DES uses three 56-bit keys (blocks) to create 168-bit encryption (some security experts argue that Triple DES is only 112 bits strong). Although Triple-DES is slowly being phased out, many financial institutions still use it to encrypt ATM PINs.
<h3>3. Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)</h3>
AES is the new encryption standard&mdash;trusted by the United States Government and many other prominent organizations globally. At 128 bits, AES is sufficiently secure, but most organizations prefer heavy-duty 256-bit encryption.
At <a href="https://teampassword.com/security">TeamPassword</a>, we use 256-bit encryption to store passwords, ensuring the highest levels of security for our clients. We're also a <a href="https://teampassword.com/security">secure hosting provider</a> holding multiple security accreditations.
Hackers can only break an AES encrypted password through a brute-force attack&mdash;trying password combinations to find the right one.
To counter brute-force attacks, applications will lock an account after a certain number of attempts or use tools like Google's reCAPTURE.
<h3>4. Blowfish</h3>
American cryptographer, Bruce Schneier, designed Blowfish in 1993 as an antidote to the weak DES encryption. Blowfish uses a 64-bit block and variable key length of 32 to 448 bits.
Although Blowfish is more robust than its DES predecessor, the 64-bit block is still vulnerable to attacks, most commonly birthday attacks&mdash;a cryptographic attack that exploits the mathematics behind the algorithm.
To solve Blowfish vulnerabilities, engineers created Twofish in 1998 (128-bit blocks with 256-bit keys) and Threefish in 2008 (256, 516, 1024-bit blocks with 256, 516, 1024-bit keys).
<h3>5. Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA)</h3>
RSA is one of the oldest and widely used to transfer data securely. The encryption works with two keys, two large prime numbers, and an additional auxiliary value.
Due to the complicated encrypting and decrypting process, there is no known method for breaking RSA encryption.&nbsp;
Although widely used for transferring data, RSA is slow and not suitable for password encryption.
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<h2 id="whystrongpasswordsmatter">Why Strong Passwords Matter</h2>
Password encryption can only prevent criminals from viewing saved credentials stored on a server&mdash;but cannot prevent hackers from guessing weak/commonly used passwords. If you <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/colonial-pipeline-ransomware-attack-dont-reuse-passwords">reuse the same password for multiple accounts</a>, this also puts you at risk!
Encryption is most effective when users create robust, unique passwords for every account. For example, a random 32-character password with letters, numbers, and special characters hashed and salted is near impossible to guess or decode, even using a computer!
In another scenario, let's assume you have a strong 32-character password, but you use it for every account. If hackers manage to steal that password, they have access to every account using the same credentials! Your strong password is effectively useless.
<h3>Improving Your Password Management</h3>
Now that you understand password encryption and the associated vulnerabilities, you can see why strong passwords are essential.
Effective password management is crucial to protect yourself against cyberattacks or in the highly likely event of a data breach where hackers steal your credentials.
Criminals are after the low-hanging fruit&mdash;people who use weak passwords!
5 tips for creating stronger passwords:
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Create strong passwords for every account. The easiest way to do this is using a password generator. <a href="https://teampassword.com/password-generator">TeamPassword has a free password generator</a> anyone can use to create passwords from 12-32 characters using uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters. We recommend creating passwords as long as the application will allow.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Never create passwords shorter than eight characters, with 12 being our recommended minimum.&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Never reuse the same password for multiple accounts.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Never create passwords with your name, family member's names, or pet's names. With social media, this information is freely available. Criminals can add those names to algorithms for brute-force attacks.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Don't store passwords in digital notepads or spreadsheets. We recommend using a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">password manager like TeamPassword</a> to create and store your credentials.</li>
</ol>
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<h2>Why You Need a Password Manager like TeamPassword</h2>
We have so many accounts these days; it's almost impossible to create unique, memorable, secure passwords for each one. A password manager solves this problem.
Instead of remembering the credentials for every account, you only need to memorize the one to log into your password manager.&nbsp;
TeamPassword keeps all of your credentials safely stored and encrypted, so you never have to memorize a password again. Instead of entering your credentials, you use one of TeamPassword's browser extensions (Chrome, Firefox, and Safari) to log into accounts.
<h3>Built for Teams</h3>
TeamPassword's best feature is its ability to share credentials with team members securely. Instead of sharing passwords, you provide access through TeamPassword.&nbsp;
Employees <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">use TeamPassword</a> to log in, meaning you never share raw passwords&mdash;no more worrying about unauthorized access or sharing.
You can create groups in TeamPassword to share access with employees, clients, contractors, and freelancers. When someone no longer needs access, remove them from the group with a single click. No need to change passwords every time someone leaves a project!
<h3>Built-In Password Generator</h3>
TeamPassword features a built-in secure password manager so you can create robust passwords for every account. TeamPassword also ensures you never reuse the same credentials so that you won't fall victim to credential stuffing attacks!
With a built-in password generator, you can change passwords regularly, and TeamPassword will update the new credentials for all users!
<h3>Monitor Login Activity</h3>
TeamPassword's activity log keeps track of every action across all of your accounts&mdash;logins, password changes, new team members, sharing access, and more.
You can also set up email notifications for all TeamPassword actions so that you can react fast to any suspicious activity.
<h3>Get Your Free TeamPassword Trial</h3>
Password encryption is not enough to protect your business from password vulnerabilities! You need a robust password manager like TeamPassword to create, store, and share credentials securely.
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<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">Sign up for a 14-day free trial</a> and let TeamPassword secure your company's digital assets.

Password encryption is the number one component of password security. TeamPassword encrypts passwords with state-of-the-art technology to keep passwords safe.

Password encryption is the number one component of password security. TeamPassword encrypts passwords with state-of-the-art technology to keep ...

What is password encryption and how much is enough?

What is password encryption and how does it work?

With the fast-growing gig economy and websites like Upwork, Fiverr, and Freelancer, agencies can now offer a wide range of marketing and creative services with just a handful of full-time employees.
While this new age of distributed workforces enables startups to be competitive while empowering remote workers and freelancers, it does expose businesses and their clients to potential data security risks.
These data security risks involve basic <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">password management</a> for most companies, but for others, there's the risk of exposing customer data and possibly contradicting data privacy laws.
Here are 10 things to consider to keep data secure when you&rsquo;re a business with a lot of remote workers and freelancers.
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If you are working with freelancers try Teampassword for <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" rel="follow">14 days for free</a>
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<h2>Evaluate Risk &amp; Assign Data Security Protocols</h2>
Businesses working with remote workers and freelancers must evaluate levels of risk and the associated protocols.&nbsp;
For example, it might be ok for teams to log in to social media accounts remotely, but accessing client databases or financial information must only be accessed by vetted full-time employees working on a secure company network.
Once you set up these data protection protocols, you can determine which projects, tasks, and clients are for internal teams and which you can outsource to remote workers and freelancers.
It's important to note that these levels of security are guidelines and not a one-size-fits-all approach. While <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/secure-password-sharing">secure password sharing</a> might be enough for some clients, high-risk multi-national organizations might require that only vetted, full-time employees on a secure company network access its accounts and systems.
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<h2>Limiting Access</h2>
Part of evaluating your data security risks is determining who needs access to tools and apps.&nbsp;
For example, if you use software to manage social media, is it necessary to give freelancers access to social media channels? Does a copywriter need access to your CMS, or can they submit articles via Microsoft Word or Google Docs? Should you give marketers access to analytics software or generate the reports they need and share via Excel or Sheets?
Even if your password management is watertight, companies must prioritize limiting access to tools and applications over convenience.
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<h2>Creating Access Levels</h2>
Another consideration within an organization is creating access levels for apps, tools, and access to data. Companies must treat every element of the organization on a need-to-know basis to minimize leaks and breaches.
With a tool like TeamPassword, these access levels can be associated with our groups and sharing feature, so there is no confusion over who is allowed access to what&mdash;especially when it comes to freelancer security policies.
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<h2>Educating Team Members About Data Security</h2>
Cybersecurity training is an essential part of mitigating potential data security risks. Depending on your security protocols, training might extend to freelancers.
Due to the ever-changing landscape of technology and cybercrimes, companies must keep employees and freelancers up-to-date with the latest scams and attacks. You might even consider a dedicated Slack channel or cybersecurity wiki to keep teams informed of the latest scams and attacks.
Companies should also educate teams about reacting to a breach or attack, such as shutting down servers, going offline, and communication protocols.
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<h2>Common Types of Data Breaches in 2021</h2>
The baseline for any data security training is for employees to understand two of the most common types of data breaches in 2021.&nbsp;
<h3>Malware Email or Messaging Attacks</h3>
With malware email attacks, cybercriminals send seemingly mundane messages or emails containing malicious links or file downloads.&nbsp;
Once the link or download is activated, criminals have complete access to a device, emails, messages, and any saved login credentials. The problem with these sorts of attacks is criminals can monitor a device indefinitely without being detected.
Many businesses will regularly test employees by sending "spoofed" emails and messages to see if anyone takes the bait. Employees who fail these tests must be retrained to ensure they're fully aware of malware scams and tactics.
<h3>Phishing</h3>
Phishing or social-engineering attacks are one of the most common cyber threats to companies and individuals. Cybercriminals will attempt to direct an individual to a site or app they think is legitimate to enter login credentials or personal information.
Using a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">password manager like TeamPassword</a> eliminates the need for an employee to enter login credentials, reducing the risk of employees falling victim to phishing scams. Companies should also limit access to surfing the net and block access to sites without Secure Sockets Layer (SSL/HTTPS).
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<h2>Freelancers and Remote Works on Public Networks</h2>
One of the most significant issues companies face is how teams connect to the Internet. The romanticized notion of teams working from coffee shops poses a severe risk for data security. It's impossible to know who's monitoring a public network or if anyone is looking over a team member's shoulder while they work.
Policies around working on public WiFi come down to educating teams about potential risks. A strict VPN policy is an excellent first step. Still, employees should also be aware of their surroundings, people sitting near them, mirrors, CCTV cameras, and never leaving their computers or devices unattended.
Companies might also want to consider allocating portable WiFi devices to remote team members. While these devices are not entirely secure, it is better to be on a mobile network than public WiFi.
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<h2>Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM)</h2>
Businesses can control the access they give remote teams and freelancers working on their own devices through an effective Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) policy.&nbsp;
EMM enables IT admins to monitor and manage both company and personal devices to corporate data security and protect sensitive data. These security management systems also allow IT departments to monitor a team member's WiFi network, determine its safety, and react to any suspicious activity. IT admins can remotely lock or wipe the device if a team member's device is lost or stolen.
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<h2>Regulations for Freelancer Security</h2>
Businesses must also consider the regulatory requirements of countries and states. In the United States, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is one of the only national data protection policies protecting against the access and sharing of health-related data.
California has one of the strictest data privacy regulations under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The act goes beyond health-related data to protect every consumer across all industries.&nbsp;
Businesses contravening the CCPA face hefty fines and may be subject to class-action lawsuits. The act protects consumer's rights, affording them to:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Know what data organizations collect about them</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Opt-out of data sales to third parties</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Access and download data collected about them</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Transfer their data to a different service</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Delete their data</li>
</ul>
US States implementing similar regulations include:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Vermont</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Alabama</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">South Dakota</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Arizona</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Colorado</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Oregon</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Virginia</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">New Jersey</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Rhode Island</li>
</ul>
With heightened awareness around <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/the-scariest-data-breaches-of-all-time">data breaches</a> and cybercrime, we will likely see similar laws passed at the federal level soon.
<h3>General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)</h3>
Europe's GDPR is the strictest privacy law globally and will likely become the global standard for other nations to model data protection regulations.
GDPR doesn't just protect EU consumers but anyone trading with EU merchants or even travelers passing through the region. The laws also extend to the hiring of remote workers and freelancers.
Leaking an email database or <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/top-five-mistakes-when-sharing-passwords-with-your-team">negligent password management</a> could see fines of as much as &euro;10 million or 2 percent of a company's annual revenue.
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<h2>Robust Password Management</h2>
If you need to give freelancers access to shared tools or apps, then a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">password manager</a> is essential. In fact, password managers must be used whenever you share login credentials for apps, tools, and accounts, even for internal staff members.
TeamPassword allows companies to <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/how-to-safely-share-passwords-with-coworkers">share passwords with coworkers safely</a>. By installing a browser extension, team members never see passwords, mitigating the risk of <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/prevent-password-theft-from-ex-employees">password theft</a> or unauthorized sharing and access.
5 reasons to use TeamPassword when working with remote teams and freelancers:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Secure Password Generator - With a secure password generator, you never have to worry about team members creating weak passwords or sharing credentials across tools or applications. TeamPassword's secure password generator allows you to create passwords up to 32 characters long with uppercase, lowercase, symbols, and numbers.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Groups &amp; Sharing - Instead of sharing a username and password, you can add team members and freelancers to a TeamPassword group with access to a specific tool or app. Teams never see login credentials, and you can remove a team member with a single click.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">2-Step Verification (2FA) - <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/password-manager-with-2fa">2FA</a> is essential for remote teams and freelancers. With 2FA, you reduce password breaches like credential stuffing, phishing, and brute force attacks, to name a few. 2FA is also effective against prying eyes in public spaces like coffee shops.&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Activity and Logging - Effective password management also requires that companies manage activity logs to react immediately to unauthorized access and sharing. Activity logs also help when investigating breaches.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Email Notifications - TeamPassword alerts managers via email to any action or activity&mdash;a vital feature for monitoring data protection and access to sensitive tools and applications.</li>
</ul>
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Secure your data, tools, and apps with advanced secure encryption technology from TeamPassword. Start your <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">free trial</a> and mitigate freelancer security risks and password sharing with <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">TeamPassword</a>.

Freelancers can now offer creative services with just a handful of employees, but how do you keep your data safe when working with them?

Freelancers can now offer creative services with just a handful of employees, but how do you keep your ...

keeping data secure when working with Freelancers

Keeping Data Secure When Working With Freelancers

The rise of the gig economy has changed marketing and creative agencies. Gone are the days where agencies employ huge teams of full-time staff. Modern agencies are now small, opting to hire freelancers as and when needed.
This reliance on freelancers and remote workers has increased the necessity for sharing tools with teammates, including remote workers and freelancers. While these kinds of marketing agencies can be incredibly profitable and productive, sharing access to tools and apps does introduce security vulnerabilities for your business and clients.
In this article, we're going to explore some of the best-shared tools for companies&nbsp;<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/teampassword-for-every-department">working with remote teams</a> and how you can minimize your risk by using a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">secure password manager</a>.
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To keep your Data safe while working with freelancers give TeamPassword with their <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">Free Trial</a>
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<h2>Document Sharing with Remote Teams &amp; Freelancers</h2>
Document sharing is one of the most common tools agencies use to distribute files with team members. Teams need shared access to PDFs, word documents, images, videos, creative assets, and more.&nbsp;
These are our top four free document-sharing tools for marketing agencies.
<h3>Google Drive</h3>
Google Drive is one of the most accessible and free methods for teams to share documents with freelancers. Most people worldwide have a Gmail address, and if they don't, anyone can sign up for an account within minutes.
The great thing about Google Drive is that teams can also share access to Docs and Sheets beyond sharing files, making it a versatile collaborative tool.
<h3>Dropbox</h3>
Dropbox is another convenient and free document-sharing tool. While Dropbox also provides document collaboration functionality, it's not as user-friendly as Google Drive.&nbsp;
<h3>Microsoft OneDrive</h3>
For teams using Office 365, then the obvious choice for document sharing is Microsoft OneDrive. OneDrive has a free plan offering up to 5 GB of storage so that teams can share access with freelancers too.
The downside to OneDrive is that you can only share access to Excel and Word with users who have a paid Office 365 subscription.
<h3>Zoho Docs</h3>
Zoho Docs provides free sharing for teams of up to 25 people with 5GB of free storage. The user experience is similar to Google Drive, but their mobile apps have limited features. Zoho Docs integrates well with other Zoho products, so it makes the most sense if your agency already uses Zoho Mail.
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<h2>Project Management</h2>
Staying on top of project management is crucial when managing remote teams and freelancers. Unfortunately, you're unlikely to find decent project management tools for free, but they're usually inexpensive, even for large teams.
Here are three popular project management tools when working with remote teams and freelancers.
<h3>Asana</h3>
Asana is one of the most comprehensive and intuitive project management tools. Navigating your way around Asana is easy, and because it's so widely used, many freelancers are familiar with the platform.
<h3>Monday.com</h3>
Monday.com is another popular, widely used project management tool for remote teams. Like Asana, the intuitive user experience makes it easy for anyone to jump in and start working immediately.
While Monday.com and Asana both offer free plans and are evenly priced, the latter is a couple of dollars more expensive per paid seat on their cheapest plan.
<h3>Notion</h3>
Notion provides a minimalist layout, similar to a word or spreadsheet document, making it the most accessible project management tool on the market. What makes Notion especially great for teams with freelancers is the ability to create Wikis.&nbsp;
Wikis are fantastic for outlining brand guidelines, standard operating procedures, and general how-to guides for new team members and freelancers.

<h2>Invoicing Apps for Teams</h2>
One of the most challenging elements of working with marketing or creative teams is time tracking and invoicing, especially when hiring freelancers all charging different rates.&nbsp;
If you're working with freelance accountants, you want to ensure you have complete control over who has access to your software and restrict any unauthorized sharing. <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">TeamPassword</a> is fantastic for sharing apps with sensitive data. You can control an individual's login credentials, monitor activity logs, and get email notifications when users log in or share access.
<h3>Hubstaff</h3>
Hubstaff is an excellent invoicing tool for agencies needing to track and invoice hours, with tons of integrations to keep track of expenses across multiple sharing tools and apps.&nbsp;
Team members can install the Hubstaff app and log hours working on various tasks and projects. From the Hubstaff dashboard, you can monitor individual performance, hours billed by department, and hours attributed to projects.
Hubstaff will also capture your freelancer's invoices and allow you to bill customers.
<h3>Zoho Invoice</h3>
If your agency uses Zoho Mail, then Zoho Invoice will make the most sense. Like Zoho Docs, Zoho Invoice integrates the entire Zoho suite, making financial workflows and sharing easy and efficient.
Zoho invoice is fantastic for tracking team member's time and invoicing clients. The Client Portal supports multiple payment gateway integrations making it easy for clients to log in and pay invoices.
<h3>FreshBooks</h3>
FreshBooks has been around for more than 20 years, and it's one of the most widely used invoicing software for small businesses and agencies. While FreshBooks is designed for small companies, it's a fully comprehensive invoicing software designed to scale as your business grows.
FreshBooks allows unlimited time tracking with powerful reporting and analytics so you can monitor projects and expenses accurately.
<h3>Xero</h3>
Xero is comprehensive accounting software with advanced features like tax filing, payroll, project management, and a ton of integrations. A paid add-on called Xero Projects provides time and job tracking.
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<h2>Creative Tools for Teams</h2>
If you're working with designers and content creators, you'll need to share access to your creative apps. While many of these apps have free plans, teams often require paid plans.&nbsp;
If your freelancers don't have a paid version, you might have to share your username and password, which isn't ideal. To share login credentials safely, you need a tool like TeamPassword. You can give access to freelancers via TeamPassword, and they can use one of many <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/teampassword-browser-extensions-save-you-even-more-time">browser extensions</a> to sign in.
<h3>Canva</h3>
Canva is extremely popular for creating social media content. The intuitive drag-and-drop builder and a vast library of assets allow creators to create content that's on-brand every time.
Canva has excellent features for teams allowing collaborators to work on the same design together for effective and efficient workflows.
<h3>Adobe</h3>
Adobe has a massive product range with software for every creative project. Adobe Spark is almost identical to Canva and forms part of Adobe's Photography plan.
Like Canva, you can invite teams to collaborate in Adobe Spark and upload client brand assets, making it a perfect tool for agencies.
Aside from Canva, Adobe has powerful tools like Illustrator, Photoshop, Lightroom, and more to design logos, edit images, and much more.
<h3>Figma</h3>
Figma is one of the hottest tools for designing apps and websites. The app is optimized for collaboration with the ability to add comments to artboards and elements. Many creators also use Figma to create logos, icons, and other components.
<h3>Envato Elements</h3>
Envato is a massive library of creative assets, including stock images and video, icons, logo templates, CMS themes, and much more.&nbsp;
You must have a paid plan to use <a href="https://elements.envato.com/" rel="follow">Envato Elements</a>, so you will need to share a single username and password with multiple team members. When sharing tools like Envato Elements, it's crucial agencies use a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">password manager</a>.&nbsp;
With TeamPassword, you can grant or remove team members with a few clicks, perfect for a tool like Envato Elements and other asset libraries teams might need access to.
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<h2>Video Creation &amp; Editing Tools</h2>
Video creation is a big part of content strategies for social media platforms. Unfortunately, video apps and tools are expensive, and many freelancers don't have plans for every service, meaning you will likely need to <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/how-to-safely-share-passwords-with-coworkers">share login credentials</a>.
<h3>Lumen5</h3>
Lumen5 is an excellent video maker for creators who might not have professional video editing skills. The app comes with templates for Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn ready to go.
Unless you're willing to pay $200 for Lumen5's Pro plan, you'll only have one user login. While Lumen5 lacks collaboration features, it is a powerful app for creating video content fast.
<h3>Vimeo</h3>
Vimeo not only hosts video content, but they also have an excellent video maker with similar features to Canva. Vimeo Video Maker has thousands of templates for most social media platforms, including a vast library of assets to customize your designs.
Vimeo is a paid app, so you will need to share access using a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">password manager</a> with team members and freelancers.&nbsp;
<h3>InVideo</h3>
<a href="https://invideo.io" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">InVideo</a> is a unique video maker because it supports 70+ languages, perfect for agencies with diverse, multinational teams. The layout and dashboard are similar to Canva, making InVideo an easy app to use.
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<h2>Keyword Research</h2>
SEO writing requires keyword research and analysis. The problem with keyword research is they're expensive, and freelancers rarely have their own plans. Agencies almost always have to share login credentials with team members and freelancers, which is the perfect job for <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">TeamPassword</a>.
<h3>SEMRUSH</h3>
SEMRUSH is a powerful keyword research and marketing tool. The app allows copywriters to dive deep into keywords and optimize content plans for articles.
SEMRUSH also allows PPC team members to research keywords and analyze paid ad campaigns.
<h3>Ahrefs</h3>
Ahrefs is another amazing keyword research tool and a favorite for content marketers. The app allows copywriters to explore the highest-ranking websites in search results to analyze competitors and look for opportunities. You can also perform SEO audits to evaluate the health of your website and make improvements.
<h3>Ubersuggest</h3>
Until 2020, Ubersuggest was 100% free. Unfortunately, that's no longer the case, but the plans are still very competitive compared to other keyword research tools.
While Ubersuggest is not as comprehensive as Ahrefs or SEMRUSH, it provides copywriters with many of the core tools required to create content, including a Chrome extension to analyze websites on the fly.
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<h2>Sharing Tools With Teammates Securely</h2>
Throughout this article, we've featured tools and apps your team members, including freelancers, will need access to. Using a password manager like TeamPassword will allow you to share tools and apps safely.

Protect your agency's passwords and sign up for a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">free TeamPassword trial</a> today.

With the rise of reliance on freelance workers with companies. What are the best tools so you can have a seamless workflow while being safe?

With the rise of reliance on freelance workers with companies. What are the best tools so you can ...

Freelancer Workflow With Shared Tools

The modern workforce is a diverse mix of full-time and freelance talent from around the world. Some freelancers are hired to complete a specific task, while others work as part of your team for months or years.
Data sharing is a crucial element for these modern teams but creates security vulnerabilities for companies to manage. Being mindful of data sensitivity and limiting what you share with freelancers is key to avoiding breaches and, in some regions, maintaining data compliance regulations.
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try the <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">free trial</a>&nbsp;and see what TeamPassword can do for you.
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<h2>What is Remote Data Sharing?</h2>
Remote data sharing is the act of <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">sharing passwords</a>, files (images, documents, etc.), client data, company data, and any other information required for teams outside of your secure business network to complete tasks and projects.
Data sharing is an unavoidable element for modern workforces, but many businesses still fail to mitigate <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/secure-remote-team">security risks for remote teams</a>.
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<h2>Managing Remote Data Sharing with Freelancers</h2>
While remote data sharing with freelancers might seem complicated, companies can minimize their risks significantly by implementing some basic data security protocols.
<h3>Categorize Projects by Security Level</h3>
Before companies even consider sharing data with freelancers, it's crucial first to create security levels and protocols. Once these standard operating procedures are in place, team members will have a basis for how and when to share data.
Security designations might include:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Sensitive</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Confidential</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Private</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Proprietary</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Public</li>
</ul>
Each project or task must receive one of these labels, so team members know what the protocols are for sharing:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Over company networks</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Within internal teams</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">To remote teams</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">To freelancers &amp; contractors</li>
</ul>
Companies might also consider creating "separation of duties" policies for highly sensitive tasks and projects.
<h3>Sharing Customer Information with Freelancers</h3>
When it comes to customer data, businesses must exercise the strictest "need to know" policies and procedures, especially when it comes to small businesses and agencies.
More than 70% of all cyber-attacks target small businesses, often using these companies as a conduit to larger organizations. So, sharing customer information with freelancers must be as limited as possible.
<h3>Sharing Login Details</h3>
The first rule for sharing login details is never to share login details. The only secure way to share passwords is with a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">password manager like TeamPassword</a>.
With TeamPassword, you can add freelancers to groups giving them access to specific apps and tools. Once their task is complete, you can remove them again with one click.
With TeamPassword, you'll never expose login details, not even to your most trusted employees. By using a password manager, companies can eliminate <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/how-to-safely-share-passwords-with-coworkers">credential sharing</a>, one of the leading causes of data breaches.
<h3>Never Share Personal Customer Data</h3>
Under no circumstances should companies ever share customer's personal details with freelancers. In many US states, particularly in California, and the EU, sharing customer data with contractors and freelancers is illegal.
Even giving freelancers access to your email marketing software could be violating data privacy regulations. In the EU, this could lead to a &euro;10 million fine or 2 percent of your annual revenue.&nbsp;
Aside from the legal ramifications, companies must treat sharing customer data as an issue of ethics and do everything they can to protect their customers.
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<h2>NDAs &amp; Data Privacy Agreements</h2>
NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) and data privacy agreements must be standard practice at any business employing contractors and freelancers. No data should ever be deemed "unimportant," and these documents should be discussed and signed even before conducting interviews.
<h3>NDAs for Freelancers</h3>
NDA stands for non-disclosure agreement and is a legally binding document where both parties agree to keep confidentiality for a defined period, sometimes indefinitely.
Breaking a non-disclosure agreement won't incur any criminal charges, but it does provide the opportunity to sue an individual who breaches the contract. It's important to note&ndash;if you're a US-based company in an NDA with a party outside of the US, your chances of enforcing that contract in court are almost zero.
Still, if you use Upwork, Freelancer, or Fiverr, you might take action against freelancers breaching an NDA by filing a complaint with the platform.
<h3>Data Privacy Agreement (DPA) for Freelancers</h3>
Many companies fail to use data privacy agreements when hiring freelancers, and they actually could be violating laws in the US and EU.
As part of the EU's <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/gdpr-was-it-really-a-big-deal">GDPR compliance</a>, DPAs must be signed by any party processing data on behalf of a company. Meaning, even if you share your Google Analytics account with a freelancer, they must sign a DPA.
Where NDAs serve little or no interest for courts, violating a DPA could lead to severe fines and penalties for both parties.
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<h2>Sharing Tools with Freelancers</h2>
It's often the case that companies need to share access to tools and apps with freelancers. As we have established, sharing login credentials should never be an option.
Here are three important reasons companies should use <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">TeamPassword</a> to manage sharing tools with freelancers:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Accessibility - TeamPassword features Chrome, Firefox, and Safari extensions so freelancers can access tools no matter their preferred device or browser. Allowing freelancers to work on a device they're most comfortable with is vital for productivity and efficiency.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Groups and Sharing - Creating groups is another powerful TeamPassword feature. This type of sharing enforces a robust "need to know" policy by providing access only to those who need it. With a simple mouse click, you can add and remove access for team members, perfect for after a freelancer has completed a task.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Activity and Logging - Keeping an eye on who accesses and shares login credentials is an essential part of maintaining secure remote data sharing. Managers can monitor team member's movements and note any suspicious activity or unauthorized access. They can also set up email notifications for access to highly sensitive tools and data.</li>
</ul>
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<h2>Sharing Sensitive Information with Freelancers</h2>
Unfortunately, sharing sensitive information with freelancers comes down to trust. For this reason, it's crucial to build long-term relationships with freelancers, only hire people who come highly recommended or have extensive experience in working with sensitive data on sites like Upwork or Fiverr.
Suppose you have carried out proper risk assessments and categorized your projects by security levels. In that case, you'll have procedures in place to minimize the amount of sensitive data you share with freelancers.
If you share information via free cloud storage platforms like Google Drive or Dropbox, always remove access immediately after a freelancer completes a task.&nbsp;
For highly sensitive information about your clients or business, always use a secure file-sharing provider which provides corporate-grade security like:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Data encryption</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Firewalls (prevents freelancers and employees sharing unauthorized access)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Advanced folder permissions</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">User usage controls (based on time, location, etc.)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Identity-verification tools</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Activity monitoring</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">File-expiration</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Data wiping</li>
</ul>
Some examples of secure file sharing tools include:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Egnyte</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">SugarSync</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Citrix ShareFile</li>
</ul>
Using a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">password manager</a> with these secure file-sharing tools will significantly increase data sharing security with freelancers.
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<h2>Sharing Press Releases and Product Releases with Freelancers</h2>
Sharing press releases and product releases with freelancers is problematic. Data leaks on these releases could cost you or your clients millions of dollars in lost revenue or ruin months or years of preparation.
One way to share information with freelancers before it's released to the public is by segmenting the work and hiring multiple freelancers to complete a single task.
Working this way could distort the full picture of the product and minimize the impact of a leak. Segmenting these tasks will also allow you to identify which freelancer leaked your information and, therefore, cannot be used for future projects.
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<h2>Risks Involved with Sharing Passwords with Freelancers</h2>
Sharing raw usernames and passwords is extremely dangerous, exposing businesses and their clients to all sorts of security risks. If exposed credentials access a client's personal data, a company could be liable for prosecution in the EU or California.
<h3>Release of Sensitive Data</h3>
The biggest concern for companies sharing passwords with freelancers is the possibility of sensitive data being exposed. Exposing sensitive information isn't always malicious, so companies must also look at how accidental exposure might happen and find ways to mitigate those possibilities.
<h3>Exposes Companies &amp; its Clients to Attacks&nbsp;</h3>
Another massive concern for businesses sharing passwords with freelancers and contractors is exposing your company or clients to cyberattacks. Usernames and passwords are often stolen and sold on the dark web to criminals for use in all sorts of nefarious cybercrimes.
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<h2>The RIGHT Way to Share Passwords with Freelancers</h2>
The safest way to share passwords with freelancers is by using a password manager like <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">TeamPassword</a>.&nbsp;
TeamPassword using Secure Encryption Technology, whereby sensitive information is hashed, salted, and encrypted locally on your computer and then transmitted to the server via an encrypted connection.
With TeamPassword, you never have to expose passwords to freelancers. Instead, freelancers can use TeamPassword's browser extensions to sign into tools and apps. When a task or project is complete, you can remove a freelance with a single click&mdash;no need to worry about changing login details for fear of stolen credentials.
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Get started today by sharing passwords securely with freelancers today with a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">free TeamPassword trial</a>.

Freelancers are a great alternative to in-house employees. Due to them working on their own devices how much data should you share if any?

Freelancers are a great alternative to in-house employees. Due to them working on their own devices how much ...

Should I Share Data With Freelancers?

Password security is a serious challenge for agencies and other small businesses employing freelancers and temporary contractors. People often think hackers only gain access by hacking logins with complex viruses and trojans.
But the truth is, most <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/blog/the-biggest-data-breaches-of-2020">data breaches</a> happen because marketing or design agencies don't take enough care when creating and sharing passwords.&nbsp;
Agencies must be aware that they're more vulnerable to cybersecurity threats than they might think! In fact, 70% of all cyber-attacks target small businesses. Hackers will often target agencies in an attempt to gain access to larger organizations.&nbsp;
It's much easier to hack a small agency where employees are unaware of sophisticated phishing attacks than a large corporation with a dedicated team of cybersecurity experts. For this reason, agencies need to make sure they have robust password security policies in place.
For starters, using a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">password manager like TeamPassword</a> is critical to minimize exposure to password security vulnerabilities.
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<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">Sign up for a 14-day free trial</a> and see how you can keep your data private
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<h2 dir="ltr">Increase in Security Breaches at Small Businesses in 2020</h2>
According to <a href="https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2021/06/08/unauthorized-access-breaches/">Help Net Security</a>, a leading news publication on information security, small businesses experienced a significant 50% increase in data breaches for 2020.
Unauthorized access, where attackers use a username and password to gain access, is still the number one cause of breaches, which saw a surge of 450%.&nbsp;
"Questionable yet common security practices, like sharing or reusing passwords, gave bad actors an easy path to gaining access to personally identifiable information..."
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<h2 dir="ltr">Common Small Business Cybersecurity Issues</h2>
So, what can small businesses and agencies do to combat cyber attacks? Firstly, let's look at some of the <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/blog/common-password-problems-faced-small-organizations">common cybersecurity issues for small businesses</a>.
<h3 dir="ltr">Unsecure Devices</h3>
Most agency employees use their own laptops, tablets, and other devices to sign into company and client accounts. If your agency uses contractors and freelancers, then you're open to more networks and vulnerabilities.
<h3 dir="ltr">Shared or Default Passwords</h3>
Another major cybersecurity vulnerability for agencies is the sharing of passwords and using an application's default password.&nbsp;
When setting up a new account login, users must immediately reset to a long (minimum 12 character) secure password, preferably using a <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/password-generator">password generator</a>.
To minimize password security issues, users must <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/blog/how-often-should-you-change-your-password-the-importance-of-password-safety">change passwords at least once a month</a> and never share passwords with colleagues or contractors.
<h3 dir="ltr">Reusing Passwords</h3>
Agencies must also be cautious of reusing passwords across various accounts. When you reuse passwords, you're essentially creating a "master key," making it easy to access multiple logins with just one password.&nbsp;
<h3 dir="ltr">Inadequate Training</h3>
For many agencies, cybersecurity training is not a priority. Most small teams are already pushed to capacity, and just the thought of training staff about cybersecurity threats and password management seems disruptive and unproductive.
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<h2 dir="ltr">Is Your Agency at Risk?</h2>
Many agencies assume hackers have no interest in infiltrating their systems and accounts because they're a small business. But this assumption is incorrect.
Agencies often service large corporations, the "big fish" that hackers want to infiltrate. It's much easier for a hacker to get into an agency's systems to gain access to one of their corporate clients.
The gateway into most systems and accounts is through staff (permanent employees, temps, freelancers, contractors). Agencies must brief team members about phishing tactics and use a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">password manager</a> to mitigate password security issues.
Here are some key factors to consider when assessing your agency's cybersecurity risk.
<h3 dir="ltr">Does your agency use freelancers?</h3>
If your agency uses freelancers, it's doubtful that you have the means to vet these individuals or conduct background checks effectively. In most cases, freelancers are hired to complete a few tasks and are gone within a few days or a week.
Freelancers will often require access to accounts like content management systems, email marketing software, marketing tools, and more.&nbsp;
Make sure your agency is using a password manager to allocate passwords to temporary staff and freelancers.
<h3 dir="ltr">Sharing Passwords with Team Members &amp; Clients</h3>
Even if your agency doesn't use outside team members, sharing passwords internally or with clients creates vulnerabilities.
Sharing passwords over email or via a spreadsheet is quick and easy, but it's also extremely risky. Even if it's not malicious, emails and spreadsheets are easily shared and therefore highly vulnerable.
TeamPassword allows you to <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/features">create groups to share passwords</a> with team members and clients. This way, you only give access to team members and clients involved in the project.
<h3 dir="ltr">What Happens When Employees Leave Your Agency?</h3>
When an employee leaves a small business or agency, they might still have passwords saved in their browsers, emails, or notes. For companies that experience high employee turnover, this could be as many as 10 to 20 people a year.
Changing every password your company has access to each time an employee leaves is impractical and could lead to errors. It's much easier to remove access for a single individual than changing all your passwords.
With a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">password manager</a>, you can do both. You can easily remove any user from a group of passwords and, to be extra cautious, generate new passwords with just one click. The passwords will update for all your users, and work can continue without any downtime.
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<h2 dir="ltr">Mitigate Security Risks for Teams with TeamPassword</h2>
No matter how big or small your business might be, hopefully, this article has demonstrated that effective cybersecurity is critical.
With unauthorized access being the number one cause of breaches, agencies must mitigate security risks with a robust password manager like <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">TeamPassword</a>.
TeamPassword allows small businesses to create multiple password groups for their teams and only allow access to those who need it. TeamPassword's activity log lets you monitor account logins, login updates, and sharing access with new members.
TeamPassword also features a built-in unique password generator to make it easy for team members to effortlessly create long, secure passwords.
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Ready to start creating strong passwords? <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">Sign up for a 14-day free trial</a> and see how TeamPassword can help your agency's team and clients work securely and efficiently.

Password security is a challenge for small businesses employing freelancers. Learn about how to protect your business with TeamPassword.

Password security is a challenge for small businesses employing freelancers. Learn about how to protect your business with ...

Cybersecurity For Small Businesses

Too many individuals and businesses still rely on clich&eacute;d references, easy-to-guess phrases, or personal data about themselves or loved ones to create their passwords. They simply don&rsquo;t understand how sophisticated hackers' methods have become. For example, did you know hackers use tools that can make tens of thousands of guesses based on publicly available information about an account holder?
Strong passwords are the first line of protection against unauthorized or malicious access to your business accounts and, by extension, valuable business data. However, even the most robust passwords can only protect you if you have taken the extra step to secure password sharing among teams.
Teams often need to share passwords to access mutual accounts. However, you don't have to put your data at risk to make this possible. You can use TeamPassword to securely generate, store, and share passwords within a team.&nbsp;
<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sign up for a free trial</a>&nbsp;to learn how TeamPassword can seal the holes in your authentication and authorization protocols.
<h2>How to Secure Your Passwords</h2>
There are multiple ways to secure your passwords. Of course, as cyber-attackers&rsquo; methods change and become more advanced, businesses must also evolve to keep data safe. For example, cybersecurity experts once said that you should change your passwords frequently. This was true until hackers developed software that can test thousands of password combinations per hour.
Such software is capable of using previous iterations of your password to guess the new password. It's effective because most people only make minor adjustments to their passwords so that they can remember their new passwords easily.
Today, <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/blog/how-often-should-you-change-your-password-the-importance-of-password-safety" target="_blank" rel="noopener">experts advise changing passwords</a> once every three months unless there is reason to believe accounts were compromised. The only disadvantage is that once you change your passwords, there must be a secure password sharing method to distribute the new access codes.
How do you store your passwords? And more importantly,&nbsp;how do you share passwords across your teams? The method you choose must allow your business to run seamlessly while protecting your most valuable asset&ndash;company data&ndash;from malicious attacks.
<h2>How to Share Your Passwords Securely</h2>
No matter how strong your passwords are, you can introduce vulnerabilities into your system if you don&rsquo;t invest in secure password sharing protocols. Most teams make obvious&nbsp;<a href="https://www.teampassword.com/blog/top-five-mistakes-when-sharing-passwords-with-your-team" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mistakes when sharing passwords</a>, like storing them in unsecured spreadsheets or sending them on email or chats. Anyone with ill intent only needs to access one of these files to penetrate your entire system.
The best way to secure your IT infrastructure is to use a password manager that includes sharing features. A password manager like TeamPassword offers high-level encryption and two-factor authentication so that only the right people can make sense of the passwords.
Before anyone can access the list of shared passwords, they must log in to the platform using their personal password and a short-term authentication code. When your system is challenging to penetrate, hackers quickly lose interest and move on to easier targets.
If you&rsquo;re unsure where to begin, <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sign up for a TeamPassword free trial</a> to secure your shared passwords once and for all.
<h2>Why Can&rsquo;t I Share Passwords via Email or Messenger?</h2>
Think back to the last time you needed to share a password with someone. How did you do it?
Some people send plain text passwords over email or on chat, while others call and spell it out over the phone. These are high-risk methods of sharing passwords. They are equivalent to locking your door then leaving the key on an accessible windowsill for an intruder.
But why are these methods risky? Let&rsquo;s look at each one below:
<ul>
<li>Written notes&ndash;these are theoretically okay if no one else sees the notes and the recipient destroys them immediately upon receipt. However, losing or misplacing notes happens all too often, putting your company's data at risk. </li>
<li>Emails and text messages&ndash;these are sent as plain text, meaning that anyone who manages to intercept the message can read its contents. Remember that emails pass through several servers before getting to you. Skilled cybercriminals can intercept any one&nbsp;of these servers.</li>
<li>Text files and spreadsheets&ndash;these may be semi-safe if the document is password-protected, but someone who cracks the first password can access the contents, too.</li>
<li>Instant messaging apps&ndash;the first thing hackers look for in IM apps is anything resembling a password. Also, anyone with access to your device can read your messages and find passwords in there.</li>
</ul>
If you have ever used any of the above methods to share your passwords, it is best to change the passwords for those accounts right away. Be sure to use a completely unrelated password from the previous one and then use a tool like TeamPassword to distribute the updated information to team members with a need to know.
<h2>Keeping Passwords Up to Date</h2>
As mentioned, the standard has been to change passwords every 90-180 days. However, this standard should not be applied to personal passwords since users often find creative ways to use slight variations of the old password.&nbsp;This tendency creates a security risk for two reasons:
<ul>
<li>Users may have to write down&nbsp;their passwords so as not to forget them.</li>
<li>Hackers will simply try tens of thousands of combinations based on the old password, and one will probably work.</li>
</ul>
Advanced authentication methods in <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/blog/why-you-need-a-password-manager" target="_blank" rel="noopener">password managers</a> are valuable for secure password sharing and preventing unauthorized access. You should already be using two-factor authentication on all your accounts, but you can also apply advanced techniques like biometric identification.&nbsp;
Whatever you do, discourage team members from sharing passwords through any of the communication channels they typically use when collaborating. Even spelling passwords out on a call isn&rsquo;t safe anymore. Always use the password sharing feature in password managers like TeamPassword.
<h2>Are You Ready to Secure Your Passwords?</h2>
TeamPassword applies advanced encryption standards to offer the most secure password sharing platform for teams. It comes with all the features you need to generate strong, random passwords, manage password sharing, and share passwords securely with co-workers.&nbsp;
<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sign up for a free trial today</a> to start protecting your business assets without making password management more difficult for your team.

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Cybersecurity is big business. Cyberthreats and breaches happen every day, which is why TeamPassword offers a&nbsp;<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">free trial</a>&nbsp;to show you how a comprehensive <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/blog/top-5-safest-password-managers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">password </a>manager can&nbsp;help your business with its password security needs. After all, basic security measures start with you and your team.
Many employees use the same passwords for their work accounts as those they&rsquo;ve set up for their personal&nbsp;accounts. What&rsquo;s most troubling about password security is that many people use the same or very similar passwords, even after they&rsquo;ve experienced a scam. Just as bad, about 23 million Americans still use &ldquo;123456&rdquo; or another default password to access their accounts.
Companies may have hundreds, or even thousands, of passwords that employees use to secure and share data. It&rsquo;s complicated, but that&rsquo;s why&nbsp;TeamPassword&nbsp;makes it easy to secure your logins and&nbsp;lock down your passwords. We speed up the process of&nbsp;getting your team secure and in sync with your company&rsquo;s projects and directives, no matter where they are.
Try securing your companies passwords with a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">free trial</a>
<h2>Why Securing Your Company Passwords Is So Important&nbsp;</h2>
Passwords are a line of defence between your company and the world of cyberthreats. With so much of your data now available via cloud computing, a hacker can access client files, financial records, customer data, employee files and even medical records. With this real and present threat, it&rsquo;s more important than ever that you secure company passwords.
Most cybersecurity breaches (an estimated 81%) are due to weak or stolen passwords. Once you understand how vulnerable your passwords really are, the next logical step is to find out how to create strong and secure company passwords.
<h2>What Makes for a Great Password?</h2>
Most of us will agree that passwords like&nbsp;&ldquo;123456&rdquo; and default passwords are not secure, but you may&nbsp;not be sure what you should include in a good password. As a first step, look at your own passwords to check just how secure they are.
Think about why you chose the passwords&nbsp;and how long ago you created them. By extension, if your passwords are really that insecure and you're more aware of password security than most of your staff, what might that mean for the passwords that you are providing your organization?
It may be time to make a change. Here are a few quick tips that will help you and your team avoid crafting insecure company passwords.
<h3>Can You Guess&nbsp;It?</h3>
Take the guess test to see if the password is secure enough. You may have included common words and phrases, the local zip code, a project name or company-related terminology. If it&rsquo;s easy for you to guess, you can bet that a hacker may&nbsp;figure it out as well. That's what they do.
<h3>Is It&nbsp;Personal?</h3>
Your passwords&nbsp;are probably not safe if you&rsquo;ve used the names of your kids, your pets, important dates, your favourite colour, where you live or your favourite places. A hacker can find out that information with a few quick strokes of their keyboard. If you will use words when securing your company passwords, try a combination of unusual words and misspellings in combination with off-kilter capital letters, numbers and symbols.
<h3>Is It Long and Complex?</h3>
You can always rely on a random string of letters and numbers, but such a password won't always be easy to remember. There&rsquo;s a lot of room for creativity if you use the maximum of 127 characters, which is allowed for the password field in some account access. It&rsquo;s true that some accounts only allow 8-10 characters for the password field, but that still allows you to cobble together a complex series of characters for your secure company passwords.
<h3>Are You Managing Your Password Security?</h3>
A password manager will help you remember your secure company passwords, so you can quickly and easily <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/blog/how-to-keep-my-companys-passwords-accessible" target="_blank" rel="noopener">access accounts</a> without hassle or delay.&nbsp;TeamPassword&nbsp;offers a&nbsp;<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">free trial</a>&nbsp;to show you just how much a comprehensive password manager will help your team with its password security needs.
<h3>Is the Password Unique?</h3>
One of the most common ways to lapse in security is to use the same password for all logins related to an organization. While a single password may make it easier to remember, it would also be&nbsp;opening the gates of the entire enterprise to any hacker who gets access to one account.
<h3>When Did You Last Change It?</h3>
It&rsquo;s important to use strong passwords, but you also need to change them regularly. These password changes should be something you schedule on your calendar and enforce across the company. You might even enforce password changes every 30 days across your employees via administrator privileges.
<h3>Do You Share It?</h3>
It may seem easier to just <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/blog/how-to-safely-share-passwords-with-coworkers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">share the password</a> for a single account across the organization, but that&rsquo;s not the best way to ensure the security of your passwords. Encourage absolute password security practices by making it part of your company&rsquo;s policies and procedures to keep and maintain security without sharing.&nbsp;
<h2>Next Step: Having a look at TeamPassword</h2>
Securing your company passwords is such an essential part of your cybersecurity efforts. Still, it&rsquo;s not always easy to control the complexity of the passwords that your team selects for network access. That&rsquo;s why we offer a different (and better) password solution that takes the work out of your cybersecurity efforts.
Our Password Manager for teams ensures you have the most secure passwords and logins possible. We'll take care of protecting your company passwords, which frees you up from worrying about whether hackers are breaching your security with a bunch of misused characters in an insecure password. Test our solution for yourself with a&nbsp;<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">free trial</a>. You&rsquo;ll see what a difference we can make for your success!

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In an increasingly digital world, we&rsquo;re switching more and more of our daily lives over to the Internet. While this brave new world is exciting and convenient, it&rsquo;s not without its problems.&nbsp;
The issue of unsafe passwords has been around for a while. But have you ever thought about where and how to store them?
Most of us have several passwords, and we&rsquo;re encouraged to never duplicate them. Some people simply write them all down on a piece of paper &mdash; which is fraught with danger. But others store their passwords electronically.
As you&rsquo;re about to find out, not all electronic systems of password storage are <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/blog/10-things-you-need-to-do-to-keep-passwords-safe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">safe</a>. Here are five of the most dangerous ways to store your passwords.&nbsp;
But before we begin:
Avoid bad idea passwords and dangerous storage methods with TeamPassword. This advanced <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/blog/why-you-need-a-password-manager" target="_blank" rel="noopener">password manager</a> features a selection of security features, including password encryption and two-step verification. Sign up for a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" rel="follow">free trial</a> today.&nbsp;

<h2>1. Email</h2>
Have you ever emailed yourself a password to ensure you&rsquo;re never without it? Great idea, right? Actually, emailing yourself your passwords is a really bad idea, and here&rsquo;s why:
<ul>
<li>Emails are usually sent in plain text. Without encryption, your passwords are susceptible if your email account is ever compromised.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Unsafe passwords sent via email often pass through several systems and servers. There&rsquo;ll also be a copy in your sent folder. If someone else can access your email account, your passwords become vulnerable.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Some email platforms store data locally on a drive. If someone steals your computer, phone, or tablet, your passwords become vulnerable.</li>
</ul>
A really bad idea for passwords is to send them via email &mdash; either to yourself or someone else. <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/blog/have-i-been-hacked-how-to-know-for-sure" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hackers </a>and scammers are more resourceful than ever, and they can often steal your information before you realize you&rsquo;ve been compromised.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s tempting to send a quick email to yourself containing unsafe passwords when you sign up for new online services. For the sake of an extra minute or two, don&rsquo;t give fraudsters easy access to your accounts. Use an encrypted email vault to safeguard all your passwords.&nbsp;
<h2>2. Online Documents</h2>
A lot of people like the convenience of saving crucial information using online document systems such as Google Docs. But this is a bad idea for passwords, as these systems are designed for text &mdash; not sensitive data.
Yes, a password might protect your online document manager from unauthorized access. But what happens if that password is compromised? Many document software platforms don&rsquo;t offer encryption, two-step verification, or even the most basic security measures.&nbsp;
If you use online documents regularly, you&rsquo;re probably accessing your account on a regular basis &mdash; across several devices. What happens if you step away for a moment to buy a coffee, speak to a friend, or use the bathroom?
A criminal can access an unattended online document platform in seconds. And if this happens, it doesn't take a lot of effort to steal your unsafe passwords.&nbsp;
<h2>3. Instant Messaging Service</h2>
Instant messaging services provide us with a convenient way of staying in touch with friends and family. WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Snapchat were designed for private online conversations &mdash; not for storing passwords.
People who store their passwords on these apps do so because they believe they&rsquo;re fully encrypted. While that&rsquo;s often the case, it&rsquo;s important to remember that instant messaging services are often left open and operating in the background.
Imagine someone picks up your phone while you&rsquo;re not paying attention. If you left your device unlocked, that person would be able to access your password in seconds.
It&rsquo;s always a bad idea when passwords are stored on instant messaging services. By nature, these apps are designed to operate in the background &mdash; alerting you when someone sends a message. And because they&rsquo;re open, anyone with the device in their hand might be able to steal your unprotected passwords.&nbsp;
Don&rsquo;t fall into the trap of utilizing bad ideas for password storage. Sign up for a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">free trial</a> with TeamPassword, and give your unsafe passwords the protection they require.
<h2>4. Online Note-taker</h2>
Developers design online note-takers for everyday lists and reminders. While they&rsquo;re great for creating to-do and shopping lists, they&rsquo;re not so good for storing unsafe passwords.&nbsp;
An app such as Apple Notes is easy to use, accessible, and convenient. But it doesn&rsquo;t offer two-step authentication, encryption, or any sophisticated form of security.&nbsp;
If your computer or mobile device is unlocked, your saved passwords are vulnerable. In many cases, a criminal would simply need to open the app to gain access to your sensitive information.&nbsp;
OK, you might be extra vigilant when it comes to keeping your phone or computer locked. But hackers are resourceful, and they&rsquo;re very good at discovering unsafe passwords. Once they access your phone, any passwords stored in your note-taking app become vulnerable.&nbsp;
<h2>5. On a Non-Password-Protected Device</h2>
Of all the bad ideas for passwords, storing them on non-password-protected devices is about the worst. You might think that your tablet or laptop never leaves your side. But if your device is ever stolen, you&rsquo;ve given the criminals the easiest possible opportunity to access your saved passwords.&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;re determined to store passwords on a physical device &mdash; which is never a good idea &mdash; make sure the device password is a complex combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. And it should contain at least 12 characters.&nbsp;
<h2>Use TeamPassword for Extra Protection</h2>
Remembering and safely storing a dozen or more passwords isn&rsquo;t a simple task. By locking away all your passwords in a digital vault, you get maximum protection and easy access.&nbsp;
TeamPassword offers a range of <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/security" target="_blank" rel="noopener">security features</a> &mdash; designed to keep your passwords safe. Offering two-step authentication and encryption, this powerful protection system solves the problem of unsafe passwords with ease. Sign up for a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">free trial</a> to see these exciting features for yourself.&nbsp;

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