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
Bitdefender GravityZone
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
Bitdefender GravityZone combines multiple security services into a single platform to reduce the cost of building a trusted environment for endpoints.
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.
It just works. I have seen multiple viruses and malware get past other antivirus software like TrendMicro, Webroot, and Kaspersky. Bitdefender GravityZone always catches what others miss. It has a very light footprint when it comes to system resources. The centralized management console is nice, but I prefer the console before they redesigned the UI.
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.
Once installed, Bitdefender [GravityZone] runs silently in the background with little to no need for user interaction.
The cloud-based console provides for easy computer management and deployment.
Bitdefender [GravityZone] is extremely flexible, with a policy-based system wherein different profiles can be created (i.e. a policy to deactivate the firewall, a policy to allow for admin control on a machine, etc.) and pushed out to individual computers.
Computers can be grouped into different categories, with different policies automatically deployed to each category.
Bitdefender [GravityZone] is relatively resource-light and runs well even on lower-end computers.
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.
Who do I ask? This is my chief complaint is once the initial licenses were purchased through Bit Defender, there was no one to contact that could help navigate some of the initial questions I had with regard to specific policies to implement for our file server. The parent web site is, well, hard to navigate when one is trying to "learn" the system.
The second issue is in increasing the licenses. It took several days for the parent company (by contact and phone) to inform me that they could not increase the licenses and I would have to go through a private vendor. There was no intent to connect me to a vendor or provide a vendor list until I asked specifically. YET I continue to get email from the parent company reminding me to pay an annual fee for the licenses purchase through the private vendor. The parent company can see the number of licenses yet did not sell them to me.
Gravity Zone Dashboard, while excellent for those who have experience, is not particularly intuitive for those who have never used it. There does not seem to be a lot of documentation for those responsible for implementation.
It works. I rely heavily on my vendors to provide a product that works, is easy to implement, and that they support. As well as be a decent value for the money
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.
The console is easy to use, but has grown to have a lot of functionality. The only challenge is that all functions (even disabled and not installed ones) are shown. It would be great if only the functions that are active would be visible.
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.
Support is an area Bitdefender has always struggled with. While their products work great, the GravityZone dashboard is very technical in nature. If you aren't IT inclined, it could be difficult to setup. While most times support is helpful, we tend to work with them over email because of their very thick accent, they are hard to understand over the phone.
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
We were a Kaspersky shop for years. Kaspersky was a resource hog and it didn't even block half of what was thrown at it. We had more outbreaks and more end-user complaints in a year of Kaspersky then we have had in almost three years of Bitdefender.
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.
The ROI for Bitdefender is hard to quantify except that it requires very little maintenance time from our staff.
We've spent no time troubleshooting user complaints or issues from users, so it has been a big time-saver over our previously used anti-malware software.
Bitdefender's customer service is usually pretty good and also very responsive, so I don't have to wait by the phone or to keep checking email to resolve a problem--although our issues have been mostly informational and not a problem with functionality.
