The key to sharing passwords safely with your Virtual Assistant
You’ve probably heard that you should never share passwords. As a general rule, that’s good advice to follow. Passwords are the keys that unlock access to everything we do online, so you want to be smart about keeping them safe. So we understand that the idea of sharing passwords with someone who is essentially a stranger is off-putting at best and downright scary at worst.
How do I keep my passwords safe when working with a virtual assistant?
This is probably one of the most frequently asked questions from our first-time clients. The good news is that this challenge has already been solved many times over by password managers. A password manager is an online tool that does the work of creating, remembering and filling in passwords. It stores all of your usernames and passwords so every time you go back to a website your credentials will be filled in automatically.
5 Great Reasons to Use a Password Manager
Password managers are a great tool for any small business owner or entrepreneur regardless of whether you have a virtual assistant or not and here are our top 5 reasons why:
- Passwords can be accessed from any device at any time
- Password creation is automated, so you don’t have to waste time creating them
- Passwords don’t have to be remembered or written down
- Password access can be revoked at any time so you always remain in control
- Passwords can be shared safely & confidentially your Virtual Assistant
At Houston & Ko we especially love the password manager LastPass because of it’s security. Password security is literally what they do, 24-7-365. They have layers upon layers upon layers of protection in place to protect your passwords. Their business is dedicated to that, meaning they can do far more than even you can ever do when it comes to keeping your data safe.
How LastPass works
When you store usernames or passwords in your LastPass vault, it’s encrypted with a key that’s never sent to LastPass. Think of it like a box with a padlock. You put everything you want to keep safe in that box. When you’re ready to store it, you lock up that box, and send it to LastPass. You still have the key (your master password) and they just hold the box for you.
When you are ready to share your password with your Virtual Assistant you a temporary “pass” with your Virtual Assistant via email. This allows them to use the information you put into your ‘box’ without seeing it thanks to auto population by LastPass. It’s basically magic.
Get started with LastPass in 3 simple steps
1. Open a LastPass Account
Navigate to LastPass click Get LastPass Free and follow the instructions to set up LastPass.
Hint: You must also download the plug-in so that it appears in your browser
2. Share a password with your Virtual Assistant
Go to your LastPass Vault and search for the access you want to share. When you hover over the website entry in your Vault, click the “Share” icon. Now enter the email address of your recipient, and click share!
3. Change your passwords at anytime
Any changes made to that shared item are synced automatically to the other person, too so you don’t have to go through the arduous process of updating password information
Get in touch with us
Houston & Ko are a team of remote virtual assistants delivering remote administrative support to entrepreneurs, and small businesses around the world: available across time zones and on your terms.
If questions about online security have been holding you back from working with a Virtual Assistant, get in touch with us at https://houstonandko.com/contact for a free, no obligation consultation.