Over the last decade, the gig economy boom has allowed professionals worldwide to switch to freelancing and build a network of international clients.&nbsp;
According to Upwork, 1 in 3 US workers engaged in freelance work during 2020. Some of the most successful freelancers earn hundreds of thousands of dollars per year through platforms like Upwork, Freelancer, and Toptal.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
Does your company hire freelancers? How do you <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/should-i-share-data-with-freelancers">share passwords with freelancers</a>? TeamPassword is an affordable password management solution for small businesses, startups, and agencies to share credentials securely with team members and freelancers. <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">Sign up for a 14-day free trial</a> today.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
<h2>10 Successful Freelancers</h2>
Here are ten successful freelancers and what they do. These freelancers have earned their place as experts in their given field with excellent track records&mdash;many have worked with the biggest companies in the world!
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>1. Marcos Rezende - UX designer - Canada</h3>
Marcos Rezende is a UX Designer from Ontario, Canada, with more than 13 years of experience. Marcos has worked in over 30 industry sectors for multinational organizations in the United States, Canada, Germany, and Brazil.&nbsp;
Some of Marcos' notable projects include apps for Ontario's COVID-19 dashboard, Urban Master Planning collaboration platform, and Reaction (kid's e-learning app), to name a few.&nbsp;
Marcos loves sharing his industry expertise with aspiring UX designers and regularly writes for the popular UX publication Career Foundry. Total recognizes Marcos as part of its "Top 3%" of global freelancer talent&mdash;a title given to elite freelancers in their given field.
We don't have access to Marcos' rates, but the best UX designers on Upwork earn upwards of $100 per hour. As a Toptal Top 3% freelancer, Marcos likely charges $200-$300 per hour.
<a href="https://www.marcosrezende.com/">Marcos Rezende's website</a> was nominated for the prestigious <a href="https://www.awwwards.com/sites/ux-portfolio-marcos-rezende">awwwards.</a> in 2021.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>2. Kathy Edens - Marketing Consultant / Freelance Copywriter - United States</h3>
<a href="https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~016177d19f0624c1a7?viewMode=1">Kathy Edens is a Top Rated Upwork Freelancer</a> with over $300k platform earnings! Kathy has been self-employed as a marketing consultant and freelance copywriter for almost ten years from her home in Ohio, United States.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Professional Writing and Psychology from Oregon State University, which she says "...helps me understand how to reach your target audience with words."&nbsp;
Kathy has ghost-written several non-fiction books on various topics, including social entrepreneurship, healthcare, real estate investing, and the cannabis industry, to name a few.
Kathy also writes web content, sales pages, email marketing content, case studies, white papers, brochures, press releases, and more. Kathy's rates start at $86 per hour for her writing and marketing services.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
<h3>3. Koen van Oeveren - UX designer - Netherlands</h3>
Koen van Oeveren is a freelance UI &amp; UX designer from North Brabant, Netherlands, with almost ten years of experience. Koen works with several design agencies in the Netherlands, designing apps, websites, and eCommerce experiences for many international brands.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
Koen holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Communication and Multimedia Design from Avans University in the Netherlands. Koen's <a href="https://www.koenvo.com/index.html">portfolio website Koenvo</a> was nominated for a <a href="https://www.awwwards.com/sites/koenvo-ui-ux-portfolio">2021 awwwards. Award</a>.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
<h3>4. Pascal Strasche - Product / UX designer - Germany</h3>
Pascal Strasche is a product and UX designer with more than ten years of design experience from Germany. He holds a Master of Arts in Interaction Design and a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design, both from HAWK University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
For almost a year over 2020/2021, Pascal worked as the sole product designer to design Con Cubo's SaaS tool that helps complex organizations visualize and manage teams. He's also worked with German steel giant XOM Materials to find product solutions to digitalize&nbsp;Germany's steel industry.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
In 2019, Pascal founded Product Design Resources, a growing archive of 800+ design resources, weekly updated for the design community.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>5. Paul Hunkin - Developer - New Zealand</h3>
Paul Hunkin is a freelance software consultant and developer from Tauranga, New Zealand, but currently living in Portugal.&nbsp;
Paul has over ten years of experience as a software developer with an impressive work history, including Google, NASA, InfoSys, and the Chinese aerospace industry leader COMAC.
He's worked with several early-stage startups designing everything from high-performance big-data systems to complex web applications to 3D rendering engines. He's also built a lot of the foundational code for independent games on Android.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
Paul is a Top Rated Upwork Freelancer with over $400k in platform earnings. His rates start at $120 per hour for software development. <a href="https://paulh.consulting/">Check out Paul's website</a> for more about his impressive portfolio and work history.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>6. Jana Galat - Writer / Brand Strategist - Canada</h3>
Jana Galat is a freelance copywriter and brand strategist from Ontario, Canada. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Management and Organizational Studies from King's University College and an Honors in Business Administration from Western University.
Jana has extensive experience writing landing pages, email campaigns, social media ads, and print materials and says, "I am obsessed with creating copy that sells..."
After several years of professional work experience, Jana went freelance in 2019 and has quickly built a reputation as a <a href="https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~01bfa17a48301876dd">Top Rated Upwork Freelancer</a> with over $70k in platform earnings. Jana's rates start at $100 per hour for copywriting and brand consulting.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>7. Kate H. - Logo Designer / Branding Expert - United States</h3>
Kate is a freelance professional logo designer and branding expert from Maryland, United States. Kate&nbsp;ran her own green wedding brand which she sold to mywedding.com in 2014, allowing her to focus on helping small&nbsp;businesses figure out what they want (and who they are) and translate that into design.
She holds a Master's degree in Environmental Management from Yale School of The Environmental, and a J.D. in environmental law from Pace Law School.&nbsp;
Kate's skillset includes redesigning and updating material to make it easier to understand, building a consistent brand from a simple starting point like a logo, and creating unique logos that guarantee results.
Kate is a Top Rated Upwork Freelancer, and her rates start at $225 per hour. You can find out more about Kate on her <a href="https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~013ce73876c1c18126" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Upwork profile</a>.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>8. Xhensila Zemblaku - Art Director - Canada</h3>
Xhensila Zemblaku is a freelance art director, UX/UI designer, and illustrator from Markham, Canada. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Ryerson University with almost ten years of experience.
Xhensila has been a freelancer for most of her professional career and earned over <a href="https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~01a08d1fcc6ea8fbcb">$400k on Upwork</a>, completed over 150 jobs, and 4,663 hours!&nbsp;
Xhensila's work includes typography, print design, UX/UI design, web, and mobile design. She's a Top Rated Upwork Freelancer currently charging $200 per hour for various creative gigs.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>9. Tanya Litvinova - UX/UI Designer - United States</h3>
Tanya Litvinova is a freelance UX/UI designer from New York City, United States. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Advertising Design / Communication Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Tanya specializes in product, mobile, and web design as well as user experience flow, research, and validation.
"I have a passion to make the complex simple, shape behavior, design, plan, and strategize. Aiming for the best user experience, all the while balancing the needs of business and technology to create engaging, habit-forming digital products."
Tanya has worked with Fortune 100 &amp; Fortune 500 companies and successfully delivered business-transforming data-driven analytics, responsive BI dashboards, enterprise web apps, and management systems. Some of Tanya's notable clients include KOCH Industries, BlackRock Financial, BCG Group, and FireEye, to name a few.
<a href="https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~0165035041b26e96df">Tanya is a Top Rated Upwork Freelancer</a> with more than $200k platform earnings. Her current rate starts at $162.50 per hour.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>10. Guangming Lang - Data Scientist - United States</h3>
Guangming Lang is a freelance data scientist from Michigan, United States. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from New College of Florida and a Master of Science in Biostatistics from the University of Michigan. Guangming has also completed several Coursera courses in data science and machine learning.
Guangming has been a freelancer since 2013 and has worked across several industries, including fintech, trading, medicine, biotech, advertising, and HR.&nbsp;
Guangming is a Top Rated Upwork Freelancer with over $400k in platform earnings. He's completed 216 jobs on Upwork totaling 3,805 hours! Guangming's current rates start at $200 per hour.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
<h2>Secure Freelancer Workflows With TeamPassword</h2>
No matter how talented or reputable the freelancers and contractors you hire, your company must use secure workflows to protect your digital assets.
Freelancers often need access to shared accounts and tools. Using a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">password manager</a> is the first step to securing these accounts and platforms. You can also use a password manager to share credentials with employees, clients, and other stakeholders to ensure you never expose raw passwords via email, spreadsheets, chat apps, and other non-secure methods.
<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">TeamPassword</a> lets you create groups to share access with only those who need it. When they're done, revoke access with a single click. No need to change passwords every time someone leaves the team.
If you do need to change a password, TeamPassword's built-in <a href="https://teampassword.com/password-generator">password generator</a> lets you create secure passwords between 12-32 characters using numbers, letters (uppercase/lowercase), and symbols.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
Ready to onboard clients and freelancers securely with TeamPassword's robust <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">password management solution</a>? <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">Sign up for a free trial</a> to secure your company's digital assets today!

Here are ten successful freelancers and what they do. These freelancers have earned their place as experts in their given field.

Here are ten successful freelancers and what they do. These freelancers have earned their place as experts in ...

10 extremely successful freelancers and what they do

Here are ten successful freelancers and what they do. These freelancers have earned their place as experts in their given field with excellent track records—many have worked with the biggest companies in the world!

Are you ready to party, Firefox users? We've recently released the 2.0 version of our Firefox extension, with a number of perks to make your password management experience even better. First off, let's talk about Add-on Signing by Mozilla. Previously an optional step, newer versions of Firefox require add-ons to be signed otherwise, your browser will show a scary warning message (and eventually, they'll be disallowed altogether.) Nobody likes scary warning signs. From 2.0 on, our add-on will always be signed by Mozilla for additional peace of mind. Here's something cool: Self Updating! We weren't eligible to get TeamPassword into the Firefox Add-on Store so we decided to build our own update distribution network! This means you'll no longer need to download the new version of the add-on when updates are available. Also, have you seen our <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/revealing-our-new-brand">brand new look</a>? Go take a look, we'll wait. Okay great, now that you've seen it, we're happy to announce that this look is also a part of the Firefox add-on! Now for a behind the scenes scoop: We've made a number of backend improvements to our login management system to make form filling more dependable while improving performance. So if you're still operating under the old version of our Firefox extension, go ahead and update already! We'll make it easy for you (as if our password manager wasn't easy enough). Click <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/firefox_addon">here</a> to get started. Sincerely, The best enterprise password manager in the game

Are you ready to party, Firefox users? We've recently released the 2.0 version of our Firefox extension, with a number of perks to make your

Are you ready to party, Firefox users? We've recently released the 2.0 version of our Firefox extension, with ...

Just Released: Firefox 2.0 Extension

Are you ready to party, Firefox users? We've recently released the 2.0 version of our Firefox extension, with a number of perks to make your password management experience even better. First off, let's talk about Add-on Signing by Mozilla. Previously an optional step, newer versions of Firefox require add-ons to ...

<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/jVAbFAvKRzOC2GnXLYvD"/> Marco Sylvestre is the Chief Technical Officer for Venzee. With their #NoMoreSpreadsheets campaign, Venzee is dedicated to replacing the current practice of manufacturers using spreadsheets to share product information with retailers. With 90% of manufacturers around the world doing exactly that, it's the #1 problem for the trillion dollar e-commerce industry. Marco started selling computer parts on the side while still in high school and dealt with the spreadsheets suppliers used to send product information and inventory updates. His career in tech began as a software developer in 2000 and he later became a certified scrum master, something that has proven invaluable as a CTO managing a distributed developer and QA team. Similarly, Venzee's CEO, Kate had built and sold two e-commerce startups and like Marco, had experienced the pain of turning spreadsheets into updates compatible with the solutions her company was using. Together with Xin, a big data and connectivity specialist (and Venzee's Chief Architect), they founded and built Venzee. The Venzee team is distributed, a practice made popular by companies like Buffer, Zappo's and Invision, and have team members in 12 countries and 14 time zones. Not to mention customers in more than 30 countries. <h4>Daily Workflow</h4> Marco's daily routine is a reflection of his duties as CTO: all over the place. His main task is to be the link between the business and the product. Setting up systems for support and development, he oversees a lot of the processes throughout the company. He makes sure the rules that have been set in place for the engineers and dev team are being followed to best practice. Also, in keeping up with the technical side of things, Marco uses his past experience as a QA manager to test with the team. One role Marco thoroughly enjoys is customer support. He loves learning about Venzee's customers, helping to solve their issues, and figuring out how they use the product. Marco, Kate, and Xin all have their hands in the Human Resources process and share various other administrative responsibilities.<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/wsFC9lQTcmbFrDrXF5Gz"/> <h4>Venzee + TeamPassword</h4> "TeamPassword is the word I repeat most during my day," Marco tells us, "it's, my Bible." The Google Extension is his right hand. As an everyday tool for him, he feels good about managing security as well as generating new passwords all the time. Since he also manages personal passwords within TeamPassword, Marco likes the having the segregation between personal and business within the same account. Marco found TeamPassword on a quest for an easy and effective solution to password management and security. He was familiar with LastPass and liked their product but was not a fan of the hefty price tag. He knew one thing for sure: he did not want to use an Excel spreadsheet. After a few more searches, he found TeamPassword and it didn't take long before he fell in love with the use of groups within the product. To be able to be granular and specific with who has access to what is an alluring feature for him. TeamPassword is the solution, he says "if you have more than 5 passwords and 2 people on your team." <h4>Marco's TeamPassword Wishlist</h4> Marco's wish list includes more focus on 2-step authentication and more liberty in choosing who has admin access to groups, and who has access to change passwords within the accounts. He would like to add accounts to groups rather than the other way around, a process that we here at TeamPassword definitely have on our radar. If Marco's positive attitude and infectious passion have you ready to jump on your free TeamPassword trial click <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup">here</a>.

Marco Sylvestre is the Chief Technical Officer for Venzee. With their #NoMoreSpreadsheets campai gn, Venzee is dedicated to replacing the cu

Marco Sylvestre is the Chief Technical Officer for Venzee. With their #NoMoreSpreadsheets campai gn, Venzee is dedicated to ...

Customer Spotlight - Marco Sylvestre, Venzee

Marco Sylvestre is the Chief Technical Officer for Venzee. With their #NoMoreSpreadsheets campai gn, Venzee is dedicated to replacing the current practice of manufacturers using spreadsheets to share product information with retailers. With 90% of manufacturers around the world doing exactly that, it's the #1 problem for the trillion dollar ...

&nbsp; You may have observed a few changes at TeamPassword. If you have, good! That means our work hasn't gone unnoticed. The team has spent the past few months creating a brand identity that we feel aligns with both our own identity and how we view our relationship with you, our customers.
<h2>Why the change?</h2>
 It took us a few years to really get to know our customers and understand how they perceive us. Once we understood the types of people and companies we were working with, we were better able steer into our true identity. We have a lot to offer. Who we are and what we do is directly reflected in the ease and convenience we allow our clients to feel when working on projects, or developing their products. We needed a brand that embodied the ideals we (and you) work so hard to achieve.
<h2>So? How'd it go?</h2>
 Ocupop is a kickass creative agency that specializes in branding and we owe a lot of credit to them. They had a good understanding of our needs and the insight and knowledge we needed to get productive feedback. Our team vibed with their team from the very beginning and throughout the entire process. The evolution of identity does not happen without challenges, of course. We relied on our entrepreneurial experience, research, and (most importantly) our gut instinct to help guide us through the process. And Ocupop's focused vision helped us to see the progress with fresh objectivity.
<h2><img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/i9RWLBy9T1ueo4o7l64P" /></h2>

<h2>Then it clicked.</h2>
 At first sight, the new logo was perfect. It felt dynamic. It really emulated the feeling we get from our company. We knew that if this is how it made us feel, it could only make our customers feel just as good. 
<h2>What do we stand for?</h2>
 Over time, we've realized that most of our client base aren't folks who don't know anything about password management, but rather folks who do. These people know what they want in a password manager and are looking for the best fit for their needs. We feel our re-brand reflects exactly what our clients want: a way to unlock their team's productivity. Rest assured we're still the same great product with the same great team. We hope you appreciate the new brand and feel the same way about it that we do. Keep your eye out for a number of great changes coming in the future! If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to drop us a line. We would love to chat with you!

You may have observed a few changes at TeamPassword. If you have, good! That means our work hasn't gone unnoticed. The team has spent the pa

You may have observed a few changes at TeamPassword. If you have, good! That means our work hasn't ...

Revealing Our New Brand

You may have observed a few changes at TeamPassword. If you have, good! That means our work hasn't gone unnoticed. The team has spent the past few months creating a brand identity that we feel aligns with both our own identity and how we view our relationship with you, our ...

With our passion for tech and high growth companies, we hope that you see us as more than "that password management company that saves the words and numbers you can't remember." That's why we dedicate time each week to write about the many different aspects of working at a tech company. Below are some of our favorite articles you might have missed over the past weeks and month. 

 
<hr />
 
<h2><a href="https://medium.com/@BrianS/survey-says-stop-being-boring-cb792d20b0b6#.4qvg5ulsq" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Survey Says: Stop Being Boring</a></h2>
 <img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/zfg7GttdQZmjUe8ucLPU" /> Source: <a href="https://medium.com/@BrianS/survey-says-stop-being-boring-cb792d20b0b6#.c8ccdbqir" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Medium</a> Surveys are a very helpful tool in learning how people view your product. But OH. My. GOD. are they boring. Here are three ways to upgrade your surveys, and get the real feedback you need. 
<hr />
 
<h2><a href="http://blog.hubspot.com/sales/how-to-pitch-without-being-too-salesy" rel="noopener" target="_blank">How to Pitch Without Being Too Salesy</a></h2>
 <img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/FmAFVr7kTOGuJecEtLXw" /> Source: <a href="http://blog.hubspot.com/sales/how-to-pitch-without-being-too-salesy" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Hubspot</a> How are the most successful salespeople effective? They're not salesy at all! The art of the honest, organic sale can be a tough one to master but we've tapped into that magic and listed the best way to sell your product to potential clients. 
<hr />
 
<h2><a href="https://medium.com/@BrianS/6-ways-to-start-writing-even-if-you-re-a-noob-246c491c85d7#.q8td81rda" rel="noopener" target="_blank">6 Ways to Start Writing (Even if You're a Noob)</a></h2>
 <img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/2kp0fIOKTDegWUv3gobW" /> Source: <a href="https://medium.com/@BrianS/6-ways-to-start-writing-even-if-you-re-a-noob-246c491c85d7#.ynmn9jw2h" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Medium</a> You could have every intention of sitting down and writing all about the most interesting topic in the world, but actually forming words into sentences into paragraphs into legitimate articles is hard! 
<hr />
 
<h2><a href="http://www.startup-soiree.com/blog/2016/3/9/jeh8sdhpvqj1jb4o35g1e1v4pn0kfx" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Analysis of Popular Startup Tools</a></h2>
 <img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/WL47uRGrTRik9QEJn8IA" /> Source: <a href="http://www.startup-soiree.com/blog/2016/3/9/jeh8sdhpvqj1jb4o35g1e1v4pn0kfx" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Startup Soiree</a> Just like no man is an island, no startup can run on its own. We all rely on the tools of the internet to not only get us started but keep us up and running. StartUp Soiree gave us the opportunity to discuss the tools we use most and love best. 
<hr />
 
<h2><a href="https://medium.com/@BrianS/if-you-re-not-exercising-pay-yourself-2c1f271ad58c#.mvi3k6btz" rel="noopener" target="_blank">If You're Not Exercising, Pay Yourself</a></h2>
 <img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/2Ah980LRZehUGwgfiC1s" /> Source: <a href="https://medium.com/@BrianS/if-you-re-not-exercising-pay-yourself-2c1f271ad58c#.817kemvmp" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Medium</a> We're all busy. It's hard to fit in the things we want to do, let alone the things we don't want to do *cough cough exercise.* I found that if I "pay" myself to exercise, I'm much more likely to do it. I'm not talking about putting a dollar in a jar every time I run past the cookie jar, but rather fitting it into my day as a whole - making it a priority as much as I would an important meeting with a client. 
<hr />
 
<h2><a href="https://medium.com/@BrianS/4-pieces-of-advice-you-re-not-getting-when-starting-a-company-6f50eb9a50ed#.cjqnrd8bi" rel="noopener" target="_blank">4 Pieces of Advice You're Not Getting When Starting a Company</a></h2>
 <img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/7KpcOC8BSmKr4IzjBtal" /> Source: <a href="https://medium.com/@BrianS/4-pieces-of-advice-you-re-not-getting-when-starting-a-company-6f50eb9a50ed#.e1aado4s6" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Medium</a> I can tell you from experience that when you start a company, you get a dump truck load of advice. Some of it is helpful, some not so much. I wanted to pass on my bevy of startup knowledge and share the four pieces of advice most people don't get when they set up shop. 
<hr />
 
<h2><a href="https://medium.com/shaping-work/negative-feedback-how-to-look-good-after-looking-bad-4875efcbe93#.66xrl8l3h" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Negative Feedback; How to Look Good After Looking Bad</a></h2>
 <img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/Vh4VYyThQUWvWGsbvGyf" /> Source: <a href="https://medium.com/shaping-work/negative-feedback-how-to-look-good-after-looking-bad-4875efcbe93#.w8pctf7lm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Medium</a> Negative feedback, much like bad hair days and live musicals on NBC, are bound to happen. Everybody experiences this at some point in their career, but not everyone knows how to properly handle the situation. Consider your chops unbusted after reading about our smart ways to bounce back after negative feedback. 
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<h2><a href="https://medium.com/@BrianS/slack-actually-does-have-sales-people-d67bcfbf7527#.rq7vozxr3" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Slack Actually Does Have Salespeople</a></h2>
 <img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/6RVxeClnTr6uEgC2tDDS" /> Source: <a href="https://medium.com/@BrianS/slack-actually-does-have-sales-people-d67bcfbf7527#.rq7vozxr3" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Medium</a> The way we feel about Slack could best be described with the heart eye emoji. We absolutely love Slack and use it every single day. So when I read an article (a PUBLISHED article) that stated Slack doesn't have salespeople, I lost it. Not only do they have a sales team, but read all about how they're rockin' it.

Here are some of our favorite articles you might have missed over the past weeks and month.

With our passion for tech and high growth companies, we hope that you see us as more than ...

8 Posts that have nothing to do with Password Management

With our passion for tech and high growth companies, we hope that you see us as more than "that password management company that saves the words and numbers you can't remember." Below are some of our favorite articles you might have missed over the past weeks and month.

Show of hands, who remembers when Amazon had an outage in <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/cloud/infrastructure-as-a-service/amazon-disruption-produces-cloud-outage-spiral/d/d-id/1322279">September of 2015</a>? How badly did it affect you? Were you upset that Netflix also went down, leaving you totally cut off from the digital world? <img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/jphvrZjzQI26kFCYyf8a"/> Since TeamPassword was also affected, our friends and clients all over the web had issues gaining access to their passwords. Since they didn't have their passwords they were unable to get their work done, and even worse not able to get into the systems they needed to help them recover when an event like this happens. This internet hiccup inspired us. In an effort to never let something like this happen again, we created our very own Failover Zone. Our Failover Zone is set up so that even if Amazon goes down for the entire US, you will still have read-only access to your passwords. We want to hold ourselves accountable, and make sure you're never without access to the accounts you need to do your job, and, recover from disasters. Here are a few quick answers to frequently asked questions: What, exactly, is a Failover Zone? Our servers are hosted by Amazon in the US. This is generally fine, Amazon goes through extraordinary measures to make sure their servers are always up and running--and successfully so! Amazon powers a large percentage of internet traffic. However, technology being what it is, sometimes the worst happens, and an entire data center goes down, taking our service with it. For this reason, we set up our Failover Zone, which is a copy of our servers and database setup on an entirely different continent. And let me tell you: these servers are vigilant! They're constantly updating their data based off of our main servers, so should the cord somehow get cut, our failover zone will be up to date with your latest changes without someone at TeamPassword needing to restore a backup. Why is this important? Well, you need access to your stuff, don't you? I *do* need access to my stuff. Good call! Where can I find the Failover Zone? Our read-only Failover Zone will always be <a href="https://failover.teampassword.com/">available here</a>. Phew, that makes me feel better. Anything else I should know? We've also put up our new <a href="https://www.teampassword.com/status">status page</a>! If the service is unreachable for any reason we'll update the status page on when to use the failover service. We'll provide status updates so you'll always be in the loop. Rest assured that we're working diligently to ensure that we're the top password vault available and that secure password management systems are in place to keep your information safe. Still have questions about Failover Zones and how they work? Want to build this into your disaster recovery process? Shoot us a line in the comments section or hit us up on Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/teampassword">@TeamPassword</a>

Show of hands, who remembers when Amazon had an outage in September of 2015 ? How badly did it affect you? Were you upset that Netflix also

Show of hands, who remembers when Amazon had an outage in September of 2015 ? How badly did ...

Product Update: Failover Zones

Show of hands, who remembers when Amazon had an outage in September of 2015 ? How badly did it affect you? Were you upset that Netflix also went down, leaving you totally cut off from the digital world? Since TeamPassword was also affected, our friends and clients all over the ...

<img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/cBz9w4TsQ1eHzE8ace74" />
Chris Mechanic is co-founder and CEO of <a href="https://www.webmechanix.com/" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">WebMechanix</a>, a digital marketing firm in Baltimore. Specializing in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising, and Marketing Automation, Chris Mechanic has learned a thing or two about good productivity. How did you manage your passwords before TeamPassword? It was somewhat ugly and somewhat insecure. We managed passwords largely via spreadsheets that lived in Google Drive. It was a pretty substantial struggle to make sure everything was in there, and then there was also the security risk and difficulty granting permissions. We basically had two different spreadsheets: one for mission-critical stuff that only executives had access to (e.g. FTP/hosting/CRM/CMS) and one for non-mission critical stuff that pretty much everyone had access to. We had like thirty clients at that time, so having a different spreadsheet for each client was cumbersome. How do you structure your TeamPassword account? We structure it in a similar way, largely--we've got a group in TeamPassword called "Sensitive Stuff." That's where we keep FTP creds, hosting information, and other sensitive stuff. We have one group called "Client Tools" for tools that we use across many clients, like MOZ. Then we also have a group for "Client-Specific Tools." Then another CRM group, which is more sensitive, so fewer people have access to it. We have a few other groups that are broken out by categories and functions and we're careful about the titles we use for passwords. For instance, a lot of our clients use Salesforce so we learned quickly to assign each client a 3-5 character code (for example, Pepsi would be PEP) and now we can easily see which Salesforce password to use. What's your favorite part of using TeamPassword? Well, it's beautiful because you don't need to access a spreadsheet prior to logging in. TeamPassword eliminates those small chunks of time wasted trying to remember a password- and that time can really add up. <img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/VXgpCNiRJO7zrc20BxWb" width="454" height="385" />
What do you geek out about most at work? I geek out about everything digital marketing. SEO, PPC, analytics, and conversion. I'm also into "CEO stuff" like management philosophies, operational efficiency, and leadership. What is your best productivity tip? To eliminate distractions by doing things in chunks. I like to work in chunks of time. You should also have a plan before you start working. What advice would you give yourself ten years ago? 10 years ago I would have given myself the advice to invent TeamPassword. Just kidding. I would have given myself the advice to quit my job and start my company earlier.

Chris Mechanic is co-founder and CEO of WebMechanix, a digital marketing firm in Baltimore. Specializing in Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Chris Mechanic is co-founder and CEO of WebMechanix, a digital marketing firm in Baltimore. Specializing in Search Engine ...

From Ugly to Beautiful: WebMechanix's Switch to TeamPassword

Chris Mechanic is co-founder and CEO of WebMechanix, a digital marketing firm in Baltimore. Specializing in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising, and Marketing Automation, Chris Mechanic has learned a thing or two about good productivity. How did you manage your passwords before TeamPassword? It was somewhat ugly and ...

Usernames are essential for security and anonymity online. But some people come up with username ideas to stand out or align with a brand. Usernames can also help gain followers or build a social media following.
With so many possibilities, coming up with username ideas can be challenging! Luckily, there are plenty of tools and methods to create unique usernames.
Whether you're aiming for fame or privacy, we have username ideas to help you create unique usernames easily!
Using unique credentials (including passwords and usernames) can mitigate many cybersecurity vulnerabilities. When paired with a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">password manager like TeamPassword</a>, strong usernames and passwords can protect you against attacks. Sign up for a 14-day free TeamPassword trial today!
&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
<h2>Why You Need to Use Unique Usernames</h2>
There are several reasons people want unique usernames ideas:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Security</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Anonymity</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Popularity</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Humor</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Business name ideas</li>
</ul>
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
<h3>Unique Usernames for Security</h3>
Many people don't know about the importance of using unique or secure usernames for online security. Reusing usernames can be just as troublesome as <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/colonial-pipeline-ransomware-attack-dont-reuse-passwords">reusing passwords</a>.
If criminals steal your credentials from a <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/category/data-breaches">data breach</a>, they can use your username to figure out where else you have accounts and deploy spear-phishing attacks using fake correspondence to steal your credentials.
For example, hackers will send you a "password reset" from Instagram because they "suspect suspicious activity!" If you use unique usernames for every account, the attackers won't find your Instagram profile!
Don't think that you won't fall for these ploys! Many individuals with regular cybersecurity training fall victim to phishing attacks. Cybercriminals know that if they keep trying, they'll catch you when you're distracted or in a hurry.&nbsp;
In effect, unique usernames act as a second password, preventing anyone from finding your accounts with a single username.
What are some username mistakes that could put you at risk?
Don't use easy-to-guess information that could be found elsewhere on the web or sensitive info such as your social security or phone number.&nbsp;
<h4>What should not be included in a username so that it's secure?</h4>
<ol>
<li>
Personal Information: Avoid using any personal information such as your real name, date of birth, or address as part of your username.
</li>
<li>
Passwords or PINs: Do not use your passwords, PINs or other sensitive information as your username.
</li>
<li>
TMI: Do not include too much information that could potentially give away your identity, such as your phone number or email address.
</li>
<li>
Phishing Traps: Do not include any words or phrases that could be used in phishing attempts, such as "password", "admin", "login", etc.
</li>
</ol>
<h3></h3>
<h3>Unique Usernames for Anonymity</h3>
Aligned with security is anonymity. Maintaining anonymity online can protect you from cyberattacks and prevent work colleagues, clients, and other companies or individuals from finding you online.
Many people want to separate their professional profiles from their personal ones while maintaining an online presence. Using unique usernames can hide the profiles you prefer to keep private.
&nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>Unique Usernames for Fame, Popularity, Attention</h3>
A good Instagram username can help you stand out and boost your online presence. If your username is unique or obscure, it could lead to more profile clicks and followers.
A good example is French Connection UK or @FCUK. At first glance, the username looks like an expletive, drawing people's attention to the brand.
People often use made-up words, obscure combinations, and other naming conventions to grab attention online.
&nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>Unique Usernames for Humor</h3>
Humor is another reason people often want unique username ideas. For example, @PickledElephantTusk is sure to get people's attention and perhaps a chuckle at the ridiculousness.
Funny usernames are great for social media profiles, but you might want to avoid these if you're trying to aim for security or anonymity!
&nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>Business Name Ideas</h3>
Most startups want a unique brand name, including URL and social media usernames. Startups can ensure that every digital touchpoint is unique to their brand by choosing an available unique username first.
While using the same username is necessary for branding on social media channels, companies should always choose different, unidentifiable usernames for non-public accounts&mdash;email marketing apps, keyword research tools, productivity tools, accounting apps, etc.
&nbsp; &nbsp;
<h2>How Can You Get Unique Usernames Ideas?</h2>
There are many places you go for unique username ideas. Here are a few of our best sources for inspiration:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Pinterest</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Username generators</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Google Search - type a word and look through the autocompletes. This is also an excellent way to find trending usernames</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Instagram hashtags</li>
</ul>
&nbsp; &nbsp;
<h2>Here are a Couple of Methods for Thinking of Great Usernames Ideas</h2>
If you're looking for inspiration, here are three methods for coming up with great username ideas. We've included processes for creativity, speed, and security.
<h3>Creating Your Own Unique Usernames</h3>
The best way to create unique username ideas is by combining two or three mismatched words with a number. First, come up with two or three categories, and then pick a word from each.
For example, let&rsquo;s choose the two categories fish, and US State:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">US State: Idaho</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Fish: Pufferfish</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Number: 13</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">@IdahoPufferfish13</li>
</ul>
You can come up with funny and cute usernames using this method. It's also a fantastic creative exercise some people might find entertaining.
&nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>Use a Username Generator</h3>
If you don't want to waste time coming up with usernames yourself, a username generator is a fantastic option to create unique usernames fast!
Some username generator tools will let you add a prefix, suffix, or number and randomize the rest. This method works well if you're trying to find unique username ideas for a specific industry, like fitness, health, tech, etc.
Some username generators even provide a social media search function to see if your unique username is available on the relevant platforms&mdash;providing you speed and efficiency!
Random username generators are also excellent for security because you avoid familiarity, making it less likely for attackers to find you.
&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
<h3>Use a Password Generator</h3>
Password generators are great for creating unique username ideas. Password generators produce random strings with letters and numbers, significantly reducing the possibility of someone identifying you.
Try creating a username with TeamPassword's password generator:
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Visit our <a href="https://teampassword.com/password-generator" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">free password generator</a></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Deselect symbols (most platforms don't allow symbols in the username. Keep this selected if your platform does allow it!)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Our password generator only allows a minimum of 12 characters. If you need a shorter user name, drop the characters you don't need</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Copy/paste your random username to use when signing up for a new account</li>
</ol>
Remember to use our password generator with uppercase, lowercase, symbols, and numbers to create a secure unique password.&nbsp;
TeamPassword's password manager features a built-in password generator that suggests and pastes a strong password into forms during signup or resets. <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">Sign up for a free 14-day free trial</a> to start managing your usernames and passwords securely.
&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
<h2>How You Can Secure Your Accounts Using a Password Manager</h2>
Usernames and passwords are the keys to your individual and company accounts. These credentials prevent attackers from breaching your devices, networks, social media, apps, financial services, and more.
Most companies have hundreds of accounts requiring authentication daily. Often team members need to share access, especially for social media, research tools, productivity apps, store accounts, and marketing tools, to name a few.
<a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/secure-password-sharing">Sharing credentials</a> over email, chat, or via spreadsheets exposes your company, clients, employees, and users to many cybersecurity risks. In some states and countries, sharing passwords this way is illegal!
Using a <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial">password manager</a> is a secure and efficient way to store and share your company's credentials.
Here are five reasons to choose TeamPassword for your company:
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Affordable - Enterprise-grade password managers are often expensive. TeamPassword provides small businesses, agencies, and startups with an affordable password management solution.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Secure - TeamPassword is an <a href="https://teampassword.com/blog/what-is-password-encryption-and-how-much-is-enough">accredited secure hosting provider</a> using state-of-the-art encryption technology. We store your passwords using AES-256, trusted by US government agencies and many other organizations globally.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Efficient - Share and revoke access in TeamPassword with a single click. Quickly create passwords using our built-in <a href="https://teampassword.com/password-generator">secure password generator</a>.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Scalable - TeamPassword's plans scale with your business. Start with as few as five members and upgrade your plan as your workforce expands.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Flexible - Employees can sign into accounts using TeamPassword's Chrome, Firefox, or Safari browser extensions&mdash;catering to both Apple and Windows users.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
&nbsp; &nbsp;
<h2>Password Management With TeamPassword</h2>
TeamPassword makes it easy and secure to share credentials with employees, clients, freelancers, and contractors. Everyone gets a separate TeamPassword login to manage access and monitor activity.
TeamPassword encrypts your passwords, making it impossible for employees (or even TeamPassword staff) to preview raw credentials.
&nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>Sharing Access With Groups</h3>
Add your team to TeamPassword and create groups to share access to your various accounts. If an employee, contractor, or freelancer leaves the team, simply remove them from the group&mdash;no need to worry about changing passwords!
If you're an agency working with multiple clients and accounts, one TeamPassword account is all you need! Just increase your plan accordingly.
&nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>Activity Logging</h3>
Keep track of TeamPassword activity, just like an enterprise password manager does. Monitor logins, password changes, credential sharing, and more to spot suspicious activity.
TeamPassword also lets you set up email notifications&mdash;helpful in monitoring sensitive accounts or specific actions, like sharing or adding new users.
&nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)</h3>
Enabling 2FA on your TeamPassword account prevents attackers from gaining access, even if they steal your employee's username and password.
TeamPassword uses the Google Authenticator app (iOS &amp; Android), requiring a six-digital randomly generated code as the second authentication step. Without the employee's device, hackers can't complete TeamPassword authentication.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<h2>Start With a Free Trial</h2>
Coming up with unique username ideas isn't enough to protect your company's digital assets from attack. Protect your company's usernames and passwords with <a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">TeamPassword</a>.
<a href="https://app.teampassword.com/dashboard#signup/testimonial" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">Sign up for a 14-day free trial</a> to test our robust and efficient sharing features with your team today!

See the best way to come up with a new username. We break down types of usernames and give you the best username ideas out there.

See the best way to come up with a new username. We break down types of usernames, why ...

Username ideas to make your logins more secure

See the best way to come up with a new username. We break down types of usernames, why secure usernames are important, and how to create them effectively!

Best types of usernames: username ideas to make your logins more secure

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;

Storing passwords inappropriately can leave you open to fraud and theft. Avoid these storage methods at all costs. | TeamPassword Blog

Storing passwords inappropriately can leave you open to fraud and theft. Avoid these storage methods at all costs. ...

Top 5 Dangerous Ways to Store Your Passwords

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!
&rlm;&rlm;&lrm; &lrm;
<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;
<h2>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>
&rlm;&rlm;&lrm; &lrm;
<h2>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>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>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 ...

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