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
Workspace ONE Access
Score 7.9 out of 10
N/A
Workspace ONE Access, (formerly VMware Identity Manager), provides multi-factor authentication, conditional access and single sign-on to SaaS, web and native mobile apps.
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.
Workspace ONE Access is a good fit for a variety of corporate scenarios, such as the need for businesses to provide secure access to their data and applications, the need to lower the costs associated with managing multiple user identities, and the need to boost employee productivity by streamlining access to corporate resources. It is less appropriate if you are not using all of its function and just use it for a particular function undermining its capabilities for example in our organization the use case is primarily restricted to giving staff members safe access to company information and applications which debunks its other features such as compliance and product support that it provides.
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.
It provides an "SSO" type experience for access to applications and data. Users sign in to one "portal" and then have access to whatever university systems they need to do their job.
It greatly simplifies securing these types of access. Firewall rulesets can be made much simpler and easier to manage, as well.
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.
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.
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.
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 also examined several other options, particularly Lenovo Unified Workspace. The Lenovo product had some advantages over the VMWare product, particularly in the areas of customization of the look / feel and user experience. However, we have been a longtime VMWare customer, and we have VMWare VDI and other product implementations in place now that paired very well with the VMWare product.
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.
Better control over organization data and its applications.
The software has frequently allowed us to save money on application security and mobile device management.
It offers a lot of features that may be adjusted to meet the requirements of our particular business demands, which has increased efficiency and security for our organization.
