At least once every few weeks, we will run across an employee who has put their password on a sticky note under the keyboard, inside a cabinet, or even just stuck to the monitor. With the growing amount of confidential data that is stored on school system computers, it is essential that everyone understands the basics of password management. Here are a few ideas that will help you managing your passwords more securely.

Don’t write your password down and stick it around your computer. Savvy students and will find it. Imagine the student that just failed your class having access to your computer or one of the many online accounts you might have!

Use more than one password. I usually try and make sure that my most important accounts have unique passwords, and then, I use one of about six or seven for everything else. I am constantly changing those, and yes, sometimes it is a pain to remember which password I might have used.

Think about using a password keeper. Password keepers allow you to use one password to protect all of the others. Yes, it can be risky if that password falls in the wrong hands and you need to be really careful with the master password, but it does allow you to keep confidential information all in one place and still keep it secure.

Be wise in creating your passwords. Hackers can break the simple ones quite easily and totally random passwords are hard to remember. Find a happy place somewhere in between. If you’re looking for more information on creating good passwords, try this article.

Don’t ever give your password to someone else. As a school employee, it can actually be a crime for someone other than you to login to your account and access information on your behalf. Be aware of when people might be watching you while you type your password. If you think that your password might have been compromised, take a few minutes and change it.

We hope this helps with the process of managing your passwords, please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Todd Trantham

trantham@haywood.k12.nc.us