AgileBits in Toronto offers 1Password, a password manager available to both private individuals and businesses, touting a unique approach to multi-factor authentication to improve security.
$2.99
per month
Amazon Cognito
Score 7.7 out of 10
N/A
Amazon Cognito is a mobile identity product that allows users to add user sign-up and sign-in to mobile and web apps, and authenticate users through social identity providers.
I've described how I use it to manage confidential client logins for the websites I develop for them. Every site has a myriad of things that need logins - from setting up their domain name and hosting, to building the WordPress site, to getting them set up with email and maintaining their sites. When I need to provide IT support to our staff, I have my phone right there to log in to their computers to address the issues. When I want to order cookies from Amazon or check my home's security camera settings, it's there for personal needs as well. There are sharing features that I haven't explored enough to be comfortable with setting up for staff. They may be just great, but it is a place where I personally don't make use of the program.
1Password's Watchtower service is a real value add - 1Password monitors the security news for evidence of security breaches containing your credentials and alerts you if you have been impacted. That is a huge value as it enables you to get out in front of a security breach and be proactive in protecting yourself.
1Password's core strength is that it makes it easy to practice good security hygiene by using strong, unique passwords for each site you interact with. This is something that all password managers do now, but offering an easy experience is key.
1Password's password sharing features makes it easy to share team credentials with other team members, and to decide who amongst the team gets access to the designated credentials.
1Password is so secure, that it lacks a self-managed "forget your password" functionality which means that as a manager, I have to approve password resets which may slow down some users.
On Chrome, the extension sometimes stops working when the browser is updated.
Amazon Cognito has a bit of a learning curve. You need to learn its concepts and terminology. The documentation does not describe some topics comprehensively.
Some Console screens would benefit from improved search and filtering options.
When another AWS product (e.g., SageMaker) configures Cognito on your behalf, it is not clear what you're getting. For example, the expiration of a temporary password was configured but never communicated.
The 1Password app design is top notch, much better than a couple other password managers I've looked at. The app and service are very flexible, allowing for many different types of data storage. The browser extensions generally work very well, allowing for easy access to login information while using pretty much any modern web browser.
All the features AWS Cognito offers gives the user the options they need without making it too complicated. Your customers will be happy. On the administration site usability is also great. After a small learning curve, you can setup Cognito for your usage
I have never had any issues with 1Password and they have always been able to answer my questions adequately resolve my issues. Furthermore, they have a robust peer forum that can be accessed. They have helpful "Get to know Apps", videos and many articles to assist in the process of using the product.
AWS Support overall is poor. Your main resources are trainings and the docs, and the docs can be very confusing. Using Cognito well involves having a developer learn it deeply and help support your team in understanding it. That said, Cognito's competitors also have dismal support and even worse documentation, so while this isn't a strength for Cognito it may still be the frontrunner here.
I don't know any of the software in the list, but normally, I used to save logins in Chrome - whether work or private, in separate accounts of course. Chrome stores information, even credit card info in plain text, that is easy to crack. 1Password is a step up, or even, several steps up from there. The Master key is stored in a Google service though, that 1Password gave me in a pdf format, but I consider that safe
They are ideal tools to create a secure and unique login experience for our applications. Thanks to its API authorization, Amazon Cognito ensures connections to applications that are secure.It is easy to use and provides easy access to files and applications that you need to complete your goal.
1Password has empowered me to meet the stringent security demands of my organization without having to resort to complex, time-intensive encryption setups to store all of my various credentials. Instead of wasting time on building, configuring, and maintaining such infrastructure, 1Password manages it for me.
1Password's annual subscription pricing model is reasonable, given a great deal of value, it has provided me, both personally and in my business operations. I don't need to invest capital into secure storage infrastructure to ensure that I always have my credentials at my fingertips, and I prefer to have a dedicated, focused security company own the hardware behind this great service.
The fact that I control my 1Password account means that I can get double the use out of it: personal and professional account credentials sit side-by-side in my secure vault. Because I do not need to rely on my internal IT department to provide access, I am confident in storing whatever I need to store.
